Methadone Control Act

[Page 509]The Methadone Control Act, originally introduced in 1973 as the Methadone Diversion Control Act, was passed by the U.S. Congress along with other bills in 1974 as the Narcotic Addict Treatment Act. An amendment to the 1970 Controlled Substances Act, the Methadone Control Act established federally funded methadone clinics and regulatory guidelines for licensing and dispensing methadone. This entry examines the use of methadone to treat opiate addiction, the history of opiate substitution therapies and concerns about methadone diversion that led to the passage of the Methadone Control Act, the legal content of the act, and reactions to the act after it was passed.

Methadone hydrochloride, commonly known as methadone, was originally approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 1947 for analgesic and ...