BID TO OPEN METHADONE CLINIC ENDS

State Official Cites Protests, Bill Establishing Moratorium

Jeffersonville won its battle to stop a second methadone clinic from
opening yesterday when Colonial Medical Group withdrew its request for
state approval of a facility on West Market Street.

Local officials were preparing for a hearing tomorrow in Indianapolis
before the Indiana Controlled Substances Advisory Committee, a branch
of the state Board of Pharmacy.

"That's great news," said Jeffersonville Councilman John Perkins. "We
fought the good fight and we won."

The city already has one clinic, the Southern Indiana Treatment Center
on 10th Street, and that's enough, he said.

The clinics use methadone - a synthetic drug - to treat heroin
addicts. It satisfies an addict's craving without the side effects and
risks of heroin.

Kristen Burch, the director of the state's advisory board,said
Colonial's withdrawal was prompted by protests from local residents,
as well as by a bill before the General Assembly that would place a
two-year moratorium on new methadone clinics.

"They could reapply, but I don't think that they are planning on it,"
Burch said.

A spokeswoman at Colonial's Orlando, Fla., headquarters declined
comment.

The company has a clinic in Gary and wants to open one in Indianapolis
- - which would be that city's fourth, Burch said.

The moratorium legislation is sponsored by Sen. Connie Sipes, D-New
Albany. It would prevent new clinics from opening until 2001.

Despite Colonial's decision, Perkins said the bill is still needed.
During the moratorium the state should develop new regulations for
methadone clinics, he said, or more facilities may try opening in
cities like Jeffersonville that border states with stricter rules.

"I think that the state still needs to have in place the mechanism to
regulate that industry, and we don't have that now," Perkins said.

Perkins contended that Jeffersonville doesn't need two methadone
clinics.

"You could theoretically have two methadone clinics in competition
with each other seeing who could sell methadone at a cheaper price,"
Perkins said, "and that doesn't seem to be too good of an idea to me."

A spokesman for the existing Jeffersonville clinic, the 5-year-old
Southern Indiana Treatment Center, said it has expanded twice in that
time and has room to expand further.

"We have no waiting list, and we take every patient that comes and
wants our help, usually within 24 hours," said spokesman Denny Ailes.
"We pretty much meet whatever demand there is."

While methadone clinics aren't popular in many places, they are
getting support from federal health officials.

Late last year the White House's drug policy czar, Gen. Barry
McCaffrey, proposed loosening federal restrictions on methadone to
make the drug more readily available to recovering addicts.

His proposal would allow the distribution of methadone by doctors in
their offices, instead of only through clinics.

Twelve scientists convened by the National Institutes of Health said
last month that methadone can enable addicts to lead productive lives
if coupled with counseling and stable work.