Opioid diversion means selling or giving opioids that were prescribed to one individual to another individual illegally. Opioid diversion is a criminal offense. You should never give opioid medications to someone to whom they were not prescribed, even if the intention is to be helpful.
For example, I often hear about patients that will give their prescribed opioids to a family member who is in pain. While the intention is good, this can be very dangerous for the health of that individual and is also against the law. If that person feels they need opioids to manage pain, please encourage them to reach out to a doctor, but do not ever give opioids to someone for whom they were not prescribed.
