The allocation of drug addicts to different types of treatment. An evaluation and a two-year follow-up.

In Denmark the official aim has been to reduce methadone treatment, even though no effort is made to directly forbid this therapy. A multiprofessional committee was established to regulate and limit methadone treatment. There were no specific guidelines for what type of drug addict should be treated with methadone. We found that allocation for the Regional Narcotic Committee of the Municipality of Copenhagen during 1982-1984 did not serve the desires of the addicts because only 41% followed it. Allocation also did not follow the principles of research in this field. In a 2-year follow-up investigation we found that drug addicts had a mortality rate of 6.3/year, rising criminality (significant), and falling availability to the labor market (nonsignificant). We therefore came to the conclusion that the efforts of the committee did not improve the conditions of drug addicts. Only those drug addicts who had been under almost constant methadone treatment had a low lethality and a falling number of criminal convictions (significant). Finally, it is concluded that limited research within this field prevents more specific treatment and improved use of financial resources.