WRONG SITE FOR CLINIC

Locating a methadone clinic in downtown Lowell, a few steps from the
high school, is an unconscionably bad idea that must be strongly
opposed by city leaders and our state delegation.

Relief Associates LLC of Watertown this week proposed a facility for
John Street, a site that is about 150 feet from Lowell High School's
Freshmen Academy and two blocks from the school's main buildings.

It is the wrong location for several reasons -- methadone clinics
attract drug dealers looking for easy targets but who are willing to
sell to anyone, including naive students; it will stymie downtown
Lowell's ongoing revitalization; and the city already has a methadone
clinic -- Habit Management Institute -- on Suffolk Street.

Drug addiction is a significant problem in this country and more
treatment centers are desperately needed. We have great empathy for
the pain and suffering of those people battling to overcome an
addiction and for family and friends who must watch them stumble and
struggle in their quest for productive lives. However, cities can't
be the service centers for all societal ills. Drug addiction,
including the use of heroin and other opiates, is not a problem that
stops at city borders. In recent years The Sun has reported the
arrests of teachers from Westford and high-school students from
Chelmsford and other Merrimack Valley suburbs, all charged with the
use and/or possession of heroin. Rather than require patients from
suburban communities to travel to Lowell and other cities for
treatment, it makes sense to have facilities in both urban and
suburban locations.

In fact, we are concerned with the overall concept of treatment
clinics that appear to have limited state or federal oversight but
pull in a tidy profit off societal afflictions and insurance
programs. Doesn't it make more sense to have such programs run in
hospitals? Massachusetts hospitals are open 24 hours a day, are
regularly audited, have security officers and are experienced with
addiction's many problems, treatments and potential side effects.
Locating treatment centers in hospitals also would allow for
additional medical assistance, improved financial reviews and
increased privacy for patients. We oppose the proposal for a
methadone clinic at 35 John St. and urge city and state leaders to
fight this poorly planned project.