Is methadone a desirable street drug, with high potential for abuse?
Though methadone is emerging on the illicit drug market, most buyers of diverted methadone are active opiate users who wont or cant get into a methadone treatment program. The extent of abuse associated with diverted methadone is small relative to heroin and cocaine, and primary addiction to methadone is rare. While methadone, like almost any drug, can cause overdoses if used improperly, overdose deaths attributed to methadone alone are few compared to heroin deaths. The Drug Abuse Warning Network found, in their 1994 sample of emergency room incidents, 15 methadone deaths, 251 heroin\morphine deaths, and undoubtedly the result of accidental or inappropriate consumption of illegally obtained methadone. ORTCA follows strict diversion control policies to assure that medication from this clinic is not re-sold on the illicit market. Does methadone interfere with good health? Research has shown that the most significant impact to ones health as a result of long term methadone treatment is a
