Journal of forensic sciences
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In 1991, media reports of an increase in the number of deaths attributed to methadone toxicity in Harris County, Texas, raised public concern about the safety of methadone. This concern was heightened by publicity surrounding the closure of three Harris County methadone maintenance treatment programs due to their poor compliance with federal methadone regulations. In response to this concern, the Texas Department of Public Health requested that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) assist in an epidemiologic study to determine the extent of methadone-related mortality in Harris County during 1991 and to determine the role of methadone maintenance treatment in these deaths. ⋯ However, we did not find evidence that the cause of these deaths could be attributed solely to methadone toxicity. Instead, for all years studied, the use of multiple drugs was the leading cause of death among people in whom methadone was detected. This finding points out the difficulties involved in determining the role of methadone as a cause of death.