A report by the Dublin City Coroner has shown that of the 87 inquests heard in his court last year, pure heroin was found to have caused the deaths of 14 people and contributed to a further 12. However, methadone, the legal substitute used to treat those with a heroin addiction, was found to have caused the deaths of 12 people and contributed to a further 19 deaths. The highly lucrative nature of the "methadone industry" acting as a barrier to the exploration of other therapeutic treatments for drug addiction has now been highlighted by Marie Byrne, Director of Aisling Group International. "Doctors get a payment for putting people on methadone programmes. There is huge money in the methadone industry," she says, referring to capitation fees, which are paid to doctors who participate in the Methadone Maintenance Scheme.