Opiate Overdose Deaths in the District of Columbia. Part II—Methadone-Related Fatalities

With widespread clinical utilization of methadone as a treatment modality for heroin addiction, public attention has been drawn increasingly of late to its potential for diversion to nontherapeutic situations. Deaths directly related to the abuse of black-market methadone have received considerable notoriety in the District of Columbia and elsewhere. Much can and has been learned relating to the complex epidemiological dynamics of the situation, where careful examination of a cohort of methadone-related fatalities has afforded promulgation of reasoned public policy decisions relative to community methadone utilization. Countermeasures taken to control the problem here have proven remarkably effective.