Pubdate: Mon, 15 Mar 2004 Source: Roanoke Times (VA) Copyright: 2004 Roanoke Times Contact: http://www.roanoke.com/roatimes/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/368 Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?136 (Methadone) METHADONE CLINIC BILL SHOULD NOT BE MADE LAW The Governor Should Veto This Legislation And Give Lawmakers A Chance To Take It Back. Bowing to misplaced public fears, Virginia lawmakers voted overwhelmingly to pass a methadone clinic bill so restrictive that it could deny some drug addicts treatment. The margin was veto-proof in both the House and Senate. But Gov. Mark Warner should veto SB 607 anyway, and legislators should reconsider their support for a law that could so hurt their communities. The bill, sponsored by Republican state Sen. William Wampler, bars methadone clinics within a half-mile of schools or licensed day-care centers. It is based on the premise that the drug treatment centers will increase crime and lure children into addiction. But, while community fears of addiction to opioids such as OxyContin and heroin are well warranted, fears of methadone maintenance programs are not. The assumption that clinics will cause crime to increase in surrounding neighborhoods is unsupported by actual experience in Virginia localities. Rather, studies show, methadone treatment reduces the criminal activity of opioid addicts no longer desperate for their next fix. Crime and drug addiction do go hand and hand. And Virginia lawmakers have voted to put up a major barrier to treatment. "We're not saying that treatment shouldn't be available," state Sen. Brandon Bell avows. Of course not. Politicians are always ready with a steady stream of promises about drug treatment and crime prevention. It's political boilerplate. The problem is not that anyone is saying treatment shouldn't be available. It's that treatment wouldn't be available in some areas where it should be. Heavily populated Northern Virginia is exempted from the bill. And in Roanoke, the bill will not affect a methadone clinic that already is planned. But a map of the legislation's impact shows it would put much of the city off-limits. Surely other localities will be similarly affected. Lawmakers should ponder the effects of a bill that does not intend to harm drug addicts or the communities where they live - but almost certainly will. - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom