(NewsNation) — In an innovative approach to combat methamphetamine addiction, California is paying drug users up to $599 a year if they can provide clean urine tests through its Medicaid program, the Los Angeles Times reported.
The experiment called “contingency management” aims to tackle the state’s surging stimulant use disorder. It offers those addicted to meth, cocaine and other stimulants modest cash incentives for each urine sample that comes back clean, ranging from $10 in the first week to $26.50 later on, per the LATimes.
Since launching in April 2023 across 19 California counties, the program has enrolled around 2,700 participants, including 56-year-old Quinn Coburn in the Sierra Nevada foothills community of Grass Valley, according to the LATimes.
“It’s that little something that’s holding me accountable,” said Coburn, a former construction worker with a decades-long meth habit who has tried repeatedly to get clean. “I have support now. I know my life is on the line.”
Under the program, Coburn attends twice-weekly meetings to provide urine samples, earning gift cards for passing tests that steadily increase in value over 24 weeks to a maximum payout of $599. He plans to give his full sum as a gesture of thanks to the foster parents for letting him stay sober, per the LATimes.
Substance abuse experts say even small financial rewards can be powerfully motivating for meth users due to the way stimulants supercharge the brain’s reward system. There is growing evidence that such contingency programs can foster long-term sobriety.
While controversial due to its multimillion-dollar price tag, the contingency management initiative is showing promising initial results with many patients regularly showing up to get paid for their sobriety.
California was the first state to offer such incentives through its Medicaid program. An estimated $61 million is expected to fund the experiment in the coming year as part of the state’s broader CalAIM initiative providing health services tailored to vulnerable populations.
Los Angeles County has embraced the approach most aggressively, with 42 providers serving 1,566 patients so far — the highest of any county in California, according to the state health department. Statewide, stimulant overdoses have doubled since 2019.