There was no evidence to support the claim that methadone was leading to more deaths than heroin, Minister of State for Drugs Pat Carey told the Dáil.
He said studies of opiate-related deaths indicated that most of them involved a combination of drugs. "At the same time, methadone is an opiate, and I accept that the danger from it is significant. It is vital that it is taken under medical supervision, with regular testing whether in a clinical or community setting."
Mr Carey was replying to Catherine Byrne (FG, Dublin South Central) who said that more than 9,000 people were on the methadone treatment scheme in Dublin city alone, adding that methadone was causing more deaths among addicts than heroin.
The Minister said that at the end of last year, a total of 8,595 people were recorded on the central methadone treatment list prepared by the Drug Treatment Centre Board.
While a breakdown of the number of people in receipt of methadone in Dublin city was not available, it was accepted that a large proportion of the overall number came from the greater Dublin area.
Mr Carey said the introduction some years ago of the methadone protocol to manage its distribution, and minimise the risk of diversion, had largely been successful.
"However, we must continue to work to minimise the diversion of methadone for onward sale," he added.
"While methadone has brought significant life improvements for many, I am committed to empowering people to access the social, economic and cultural benefits of life in line with their needs and aspirations, through the implementation of the recommendations of the report of the working group on drugs rehabilitation in line with the programme for government."
Ms Byrne said more people on the treatment programme were dying than ever before.
"It does not make a difference whether 8,000 or 9,000 people are on the methadone treatment list because those taking the substance are in the middle of a life sentence. One can spend upwards of nine years on methadone."
Mr Carey said there was a need to establish a variety of treatment options which were appropriate on medical grounds.
"Methadone should not be a life sentence and options should be available to allow people to leave the programme."
He added that he had attended a conference organised by the Ballymun drugs taskforce at which two experts from Scotland noted that some people had become addicted to methadone. "We should not inflict this life sentence on anybody."
