Monday, February 09, 2004

Methadone Deaths Not Linked to Misuse of Methadone from Treatment Centers
SAMHSA press release - "Methadone-associated deaths are not being caused primarily by methadone diverted from methadone treatment programs, a panel of experts convened by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), reported. The methadone report was released today by SAMHSA’s Center for Substance Abuse Treatment Director, H. Westley Clark, M.D., J.D., M.P.H., at the Sixth International Conference on Pain and Chemical Dependency in New York City. The consensus report, 'Methadone-Associated Mortality, Report of a National Assessment,; concludes that 'although the data remain incomplete, National Assessment meeting participants concurred that methadone tablets and/or diskettes distributed through channels other than opioid treatment programs most likely are the central factor in methadone-associated mortality.'”