Methadone Overdoes Kills Teen and Leaves Second in Coma
State police at Lehighton and the state Department of Public Welfare are looking into the recent death of 16-year-old Katherine Rice of Allentown, Pennsylvania. Rice, and her friend were staying at the KidsPeace group home for troubled youths who have substance abuse problems. On April 16, 2008 the girls stole methadone pills from a counselor at the facility and later that evening began taking the pills.
As the girls began to take the pills, but feel no immediate effect, they continued to take pills throughout the night in hopes of feeling the high associated with prescription pain medications. However, instead of getting the high they desired, they fell into comas and were taken to Lehigh Valley Hospital. Rice passed away two weeks after falling into the coma, and her friend remains in the hospital in satisfactory condition.
Investigators are looking into why the methadone pills were at a facility for substance abuse patients in the first place, and more importantly, how the obvious lack of supervision allowed the teens to steal the drugs.
This is just one more example of why we need to implement stricter guidelines for the distribution of methadone. The pills have drastically devastating results and yet continue to get into the wrong hands time and time again.
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