The International journal on drug policy
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Int. J. Drug Policy · Dec 2008
Multicenter Study Comparative StudyPrevalence of diversion and injection of methadone and buprenorphine among clients receiving opioid treatment at community pharmacies in New South Wales, Australia.
This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of diversion and injection of methadone and buprenorphine among clients receiving opioid pharmacotherapy treatment at community pharmacies in New South Wales (NSW), Australia. ⋯ The higher prevalence of buprenorphine diversion compared to methadone diversion is likely to be due to its sublingual tablet formulation and difficulty associated with supervising its consumption compared to that of an oral liquid. Methadone diversion is also less prevalent likely due to the high levels of methadone take away provision, which also helps to explain the higher levels of recent methadone injecting compared to buprenorphine injecting. A clearer understanding of the motivations for diversion and injection of opioid pharmacotherapies, and the relationship between them is required.
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Int. J. Drug Policy · Dec 2008
On the threshold: how relevant should quantity be in determining intent to supply?
In 2005, the English Government announced plans to introduce thresholds into drugs legislation with a view to simplifying proof of intent to supply. ⋯ While the use of thresholds to create a presumption that an individual has intent to supply is problematic, thresholds could usefully have been adopted to facilitate a policy of diversion for those who fell below them.