During 2002-2006, rates of methadone diversion increased 24.3% per year; during 2006-2009, the rate increased at a slower rate, and after 2009, the rate declined 12.8% per year through 2014.
Data on 2002-2014 reports of methadone diversion, determined through forensic laboratory testing of substances associated with drug cases obtained in federal, state, and local law enforcement operations, were obtained from DEA's National Forensic Laboratory Information System.1 Annual counts of methadone diversion reports, and rates per 100,000 population were calculated nationally and by U.S.
The Pearson correlation coefficient (r) was used to assess correlation between the methadone distribution rate and rates of methadone diversion and overdose deaths.
Rates of methadone diversion reports increased, on average, 24.3% per year through 2006 and during 2006-2009 continued to increase, but substantially more slowly (an average of 3.5% per year); after 2009, methadone diversion rates declined, on average, 12.8% per year.
The rates of methadone diversion and overdose death within each region followed a similar pattern as methadone distribution.
Finally, National Forensic Laboratory Information System estimates of methadone diversion might be subject to variation associated with sample estimates, including nonresponse bias.
(34) carried out a research in only one prison in 2010 to determine the obstacles against the extension of MMT program from the viewpoints of prisoners which were lack of manpower and healthcare providers,
methadone diversion, the potential adverse effects of the drug, and the stigma surrounding treatment by methadone.
They are also concerned about
methadone diversion. Meanwhile, some African American activists once condemned methadone maintenance as a lethal distraction from deeper social ills such as racism, poverty, employment, and housing.
Nor should regulations intended solely to control
methadone diversion limit the maximum number of doses that patients can "take home" from treatment programs, without weighing the benefits to the patient against the risks of diversion.