VIRGINIA HOUSE TO CONSIDER METHADONE MORATORIUM BILL

A bill that would put a moratorium on new licenses for methadone clinics in
Virginia passed the House Health, Welfare and Institutions Committee on
Friday and is expected to come up for a vote by the full House of Delegates
next week, said Delegate Terry Kilgore.

Kilgore's bill, HB 1778, mirrors a bill that has already passed the Senate
patroned by Sen. William Wampler. This bill requires the Board of Mental
Health, Mental Retardation and Substance Abuse Services to establish
standards to evaluate the need and appropriateness for the issuance of new
licenses for methadone clinics. The board must establish these standards
pursuant to the Administrative Process Act.

While the board is establishing these standards, there will be a moratorium
on the issuance of any new licenses until the standards are enacted.

The bill allows the Board of Mental Health, Mental Retardation and
Substance Abuse Services 280 days in which to promulgate regulations.

"This is an important step for our localities so that we may have some
input in the development of standards and so our localities can take
whatever action they deem appropriate in this area," said Kilgore.

The legislation further requires that any standards adopted by the board
would include criteria for the determination of need for new clinics by
examining existing access to treatment, including treatment in physician's
offices, the reasonable parameters both geographic and demographic of the
clinic service area, and, finally, the proposed clinic's plan of operation
including security and accountability measures.

Kilgore said the area of addiction is changing. Recently the Food and Drug
Administration has approved several new drugs for opiate addiction
treatment, and these drugs can now be prescribed through physician's
offices, he said.

"I think we need to step back and look at these standards and hopefully our
localities will get involved in this process," Kilgore said.

This bill will be voted on by the full House most likely on Tuesday, said
Kilgore.

Kilgore and Wampler submitted their bills partly in response to efforts
last year of a company to locate a methadone clinic in Scott County. Since
that time, another company has expressed interest in locating a clinic in
Pennington Gap.

Shortly after the Senate bill passed, Wampler said he wasn't sure the bill
would help the situation in Pennington Gap, as the laws most likely won't
go into effect until July 1.