But The Sun was able to identify several such cases, most near Lexington Market. On Jan. 9, police arrested a 31-year-old woman after officers found two dozen Suboxone pills and a prescription bottle with a scratched-out label. On Jan. 24, a 53-year-old man was arrested holding a bottle - with an "obliterated" label - containing 38 Suboxone pills and $302 in cash.
By comparison, heroin and cocaine seizures accounted for a combined 22,000 cases last year in the city and 2,100 cases in Baltimore County. But addiction experts say the upward trend of "bupe," Suboxone's street name, must be heeded.
"It's important to learn from the numbers, even though they may not be huge," said Michael M. Gimbel, director of substance abuse education at Sheppard Pratt Health System. "They show enough of a dramatic increase to ask questions: How is it getting it on the street? Where is it coming from? And how can we stop or slow the diversion?"
Officials responsible for promoting development and use of Suboxone long played down its potential for misuse. But that's changing. At a February conference in Washington, federal officials said they might change warning labels and improve detection methods and training for doctors. Unlike methadone, which is typically dispensed at clinics, doctors can prescribe months-long supplies of Suboxone.
"We must address this issue of diversion," said conference participant Dr. Elinore F. McCance-Katz, president of the American Academy of Addiction Psychiatry. "If this drug is seen as something that is potentially harming the public, we want to get in front of that. As physicians we need to look at this very carefully."
Baltimore Health Commissioner Dr. Joshua M. Sharfstein and state health officials are spending millions of dollars on Suboxone treatment. He said lab statistics do not necessarily indicate street sales because some seizures are from people with legal prescriptions.
Sharfstein said Suboxone on the street presents less danger than methadone, which leads to vastly more overdose deaths.
"I think diversion [of prescription drugs] is an important issue," Sharfstein said. "But it has to be put in the context of the heroin problem."
Charles F. Cichon, executive director of the National Association of Drug Diversion Investigators in Manchester, said: "It absolutely surprises me that law enforcement seized more buprenorphine than methadone. To the best of my knowledge, this is not typical for ... [police] around the country."
