January 2008 Dear Colleague letter from SAMHSA click here to download     Clinic Patients must meet an 8 point criteria before being allowed take home doses of Methadone on Sundays and Holidays. Clinics that close on Sundays and holidays will be required to open or make other arrangements for the unstable patients who do not meet the 8 point criteria. This is a result of our combined efforts with SAMHSA on reducing Methadone Deaths by preventing  diversion, misuse, and abuse while maintaining quality care for Methadone Maintenance patients while simultaneously ensuring public safety Death Toll By Each State 1999 through 2004 click here to download National Poisoning Deaths with Methadone click here to download Link to more research (updated regularly) Predicting Aberrant Behavior in Opioid Treated Patients - Tool Lynn R Webster MD and Rebecca Webster A Pilot Study To Enhance the Understanding of Methadone Intoxication Deaths in Maryland Drug Intoxication Deaths Involving Methadone, 2004-2005 Wendy Verhoek-Oftedahl; Tucker Bittel; Michael K Kim; Edward F Donnelly; et al Enhanced Analgesia with Opioid Antagonist Administration Jane E. Loitman, M.D., M.S. Opioids for Chronic Nonterminal Pain Jane C Ballantyne, MD, FRCA Opioid-induced Hyperalgesia Perils of Pain Meds Dr. Stephen Gelfand Methadone Even at Therapeutic Levels Can Kill  Oregon Health & Science University