Methadone: Some Aspects of Its Legal and Illegal Use
ROBERT S. WEPPNER PH.D.1,
RICHARD C. STEPHENS PH.D.2, , and
HAROLD T. CONRAD M.D.3
1 Deputy Chief of Research, National Institute of Mental Health Clinical Research Center, Leestown Pike, Lexington, Ky. 40507
2 Research Sociologist, National Institute of Mental Health Clinical Research Center, Leestown Pike, Lexington, Ky. 40507
3 Chief, National Institute of Mental Health Clinical Research Center, Leestown Pike, Lexington, Ky. 40507
A sample of 336 patients admitted to the NIMH Clinical Research Center was surveyed to determine how many had had experience with methadone, either legally or illegally. One-third of the addict sample had been in methadone maintenance programs; 43 percent had used methadone "on the street," often using supplies diverted from legitimate programs. The authors tentatively conclude, in view of the "cheating" reported in programs, that methadone is not meeting the clinical expectation that it will block the euphoric effects of other opiates. More importantly, some addicts have indicated that methadone may become a drug of choice.
