This letter to the editor was written in response to an editorial by Jenny Keen ('Managing drug misuse in general practice', British Medical Journal, 318 (5 June 1999),1503-1504). The authors of the letter stated that the Republic of Ireland used an approach to drug misuse similar to that described by Keen, and that general practitioners were encouraged to become involved in the treatment of drug misusers under regulations introduced by statutory instrument in October 1998. The legislation regulated the prescribing and dispensing of methadone. They asserted that methadone maintenance had led to reductions in the use of illicit drugs. However, they voiced concerns about the availability of methadone on the black market. Finally, they outlined the main points of the new protocol and drew conclusions about its effectiveness to date.