ABSTRACT
Problem: Researchers wanted to evaluate a treatment program sponsored by the National Institute on Drug Abuse that provided free methadone maintenance to individuals who inject heroin. "Subjects were recruited through outreach to local service providers (e.g., AIDS service organizations, social welfare programs, health clinics), flier distribution, and client word-of-mouth." By law and for the purposes of the study, only those who belonged to one or more of four groups were eligible: "individuals who were HIV -positive, gay or bisexual males, sex workers (prostitutes), or sex partners of individuals in the above three groups." A problem was that many who did not belong to four designated groups might lie in order to gain access to the free methadone maintenance program. Methadone is a synthetic drug that is used as a substitute for heroin in drug treatment programs; although it is addictive, it is less addictive than heroin. Moving heroin addicts off heroin and onto methadone helps them "step-down" to a drug that is easier to wean them from in drug treatment programs.
