OXYCONTIN REPLACED AS DRUG OF CHOICE

Methadone Abused More In E. Kentucky

LOUISVILLE - An Eastern Kentucky drug investigator says methadone is
replacing OxyContin as the region's most abused prescription drug.

Since January 2003, a total of 345 Kentuckians have died from overdoses
related to the synthetic narcotic, according to a survey by The
Courier-Journal.

Methadone, invented in Germany during World War II as a substitute for
morphine and used now as a painkiller and to treat heroin addiction, has
found new popularity because of tighter controls on OxyContin, authorities
said.

"Most of your big pain treatment centers and doctors quit prescribing as
much OxyContin and started prescribing methadone," said Dan Smoot, a former
state police detective who is head of law enforcement for the federally
funded anti-drug task force in Hazard, called Operation UNITE.

In 2001, Kentucky physicians wrote more than 150,000 prescriptions for
OxyContin, but that dropped to 130,000 in 2003, according to the Cabinet
for Health Services. Meanwhile, the number of methadone prescriptions
increased by about 340,000, to nearly 2.7 million, during that time.

Authorities seized more methadone than any other drug during a series of
investigations earlier this year that led to warrants for the arrest of
more than 200 street-level drug traffickers in the region, Smoot said.

Among Eastern Kentucky counties, Breathitt has been the hardest hit. Since
January 2003, 40 people have died from a combination of methadone and
either alcohol, another painkiller or a tranquilizer, according to Bobby
Thorpe, the county coroner.

In Jefferson County, 34 people have died from methadone-related overdoses
in the past 16 months, by far the most of any drug, Chief Deputy Coroner
Mark Handy said.

On average, Kentucky has about 400 overdose deaths annually from all drugs,
said state medical examiner Tracy Corey.

The Courier-Journal contacted coroners or deputy coroners in all 120
counties. As of Friday, 80 from all parts of the state had responded,
reporting the 345 methadone-related deaths since January 2003. Those
counties represent about 75 percent of Kentucky's population.

Some coroners who responded to the survey, which began the last week in
April, said their methadone figures were estimates, not precise counts.

Asked about the results of the survey, Lt. Gov. Steve Pence said, "It
disturbs me." He also serves as secretary of the Justice and Public Safety
Cabinet.

In an interview with the newspaper on Friday, Pence discussed the
possibility of creating a "central depository on drug overdose deaths" to
track whether certain areas are having abuse epidemics.

A team of 50 state, local and federal officials is compiling a report on
Kentucky's substance-abuse issues, and Pence said the report will go to
Gov. Ernie Fletcher on June 20.

Abusers, who span a wide range of ages, often crush and snort methadone
with other drugs, or dissolve them in liquid and inject them. The
combination can produce a lethal high by leading to respiratory failure or
a heart attack, coroners said.

With a prescription, 90 tablets of methadone are available for about $40 at
a pharmacy, Smoot said. One methadone tablet on the street sells for around $12.