TORONTO — For the second time in three weeks — and the third time this year — police are warning residents of Canada’s biggest city about another case of misplaced methadone.
Methadone, a powerful narcotic analgesic painkiller, is the world’s most popular and successful treatment for drug users trying to recover from debilitating drug addictions.
The medication, usually taken orally, is typically distributed premixed with orange juice — making it especially dangerous within the reach of children.
In late March, two bottles each containing a cocktail of 150 mg of methadone and orange juice were reportedly left on a Toronto streetcar, the second such incident in two months.
Then on Monday, police reported that two orange-coloured vials of methadone had been misplaced downtown, possibly on a subway car or bus.
The dangers of methadone-laced orange juice were illustrated in sharp relief three years ago when a six-year-old Toronto boy died after drinking a concoction his father kept in the refrigerator.
