DRUG CZAR PANS BILL LIMITING METHADONE CLINICS

A bill restricting methadone clinics in most urban areas of Virginia
was criticized this week by national "drug czar" John Walters.

After speaking to a group of students Tuesday night at George
Washington University, Walters was asked about a bill, which has the
General Assembly's approval and now goes to Gov. Mark Warner, that
prohibits methadone clinics from opening within a half-mile of schools
and day care centers.

Walters, appointed by President Bush to head the Office of National
Drug Control Policy, said: "If there are any reporters present, I want
them to know that this is a bad law," according to Chris Kelly, a
methadone treatment advocate who attended the speech.

An official in Walters' office confirmed Thursday that he does have
concerns about placing too many restrictions on methadone, which has
been shown to be an effective treatment for addicts of opium-based
drugs such as OxyContin and heroin.

"I can't attest to that exact statement," deputy press secretary
Rafael Lemaitre said when asked about Walters' reported comment. "But
it was within that spirit."

The bill to keep methadone clinics away from schools and day care
centers was born from community resistance to proposed clinics in the
Roanoke Valley and Bristol area.

Walters was in Las Vegas on Thursday and unavailable for
comment.

Dr. Andrea Barthwell, deputy director for demand reduction in the drug
czar's office, said a law restricting methadone treatment could have
adverse effects for both drug addicts and the communities where they
live.

"It may in fact be eliminating the possibility of offering a beacon of
hope to some of society's most disenfranchised," Barthwell said.

Opponents fear that the outpatient programs, which dispense daily
doses of methadone to keep addicts off other opium-based drugs, will
attract crime to their neighborhoods.

Plans for a clinic in Southwest Roanoke County prompted Sen. Brandon
Bell, R-Roanoke County, and Del. William Fralin, R-Roanoke, to sponsor
bills that would prevent methadone clinics from opening within a
half-mile of any public or private school.

The General Assembly ended up passing an even more restrictive measure
(SB 607) that bars clinics from within a half-mile of any school or
state-licensed day care center. That bill was sponsored by Sen.
William Wampler, R-Bristol, in response to a controversial clinic
proposal in his district.

Even if Warner signs the bill into law, it would not affect a proposed
methadone clinic on Hershberger Road. The Roanoke Treatment Center has
already received a business license from city officials and has
applied for a state permit. The facility would be the only methadone
clinic in the Roanoke Valley.

Bell and Wampler defended their bills Thursday when told about
Walters' comments.

"He hasn't heard from people back home who don't want a clinic next to
their high school," Wampler said.

Wampler and Bell said they support making drug treatment options
available to addicts, but both senators suggest that a controlled
medical setting such as a hospital may be more appropriate.

"We're not saying that treatment shouldn't be available," Bell said.
"What we're saying is that location is important."

Critics of the legislation say it is based on fears of clinic-related
crime that have no factual basis.

Police in every Virginia jurisdiction that has a methadone clinic have
said the drug treatment centers do not cause major problems with
crime. Studies have also shown that methadone treatment leads to
reduced criminal activity among addicts.

"Methadone is probably the most-studied model of care to treat
addiction," Barthwell said. The drug czar's office, which coordinates
all aspects of federal drug programs and spending, has long been in
support of methadone maintenance programs.

While there is a legitimate need to closely monitor methadone patients
and be mindful of their presence on the surrounding neighborhood,
Barthwell said, clinics that provide the medication have historically
been responsive to community concerns.

Drug treatment advocates say the proposed law leaves so little room
for methadone clinics, at least in urban areas, that it effectively
denies treatment to drug addicts and could be subject to a legal
challenge under the Americans with Disabilities Act.

A computer-generated map produced for The Roanoke Times earlier this
year shows that the bill would prevent a methadone clinic from opening
in large parts of the city.

Wampler's bill does not apply to densely populated Northern Virginia,
clinics already in operation, and clinics located within a
state-licensed hospital or a state-owned facility.

Although methadone providers have been successful in using the ADA to
overturn local ordinances that prohibit or drastically reduce the
treatment, legal experts have said they are not aware of a state law
being challenged.

Kelly, who attended Walters' speech as director of the Washington,
D.C., chapter of Advocates for Recovery Through Medicine, said she
believes the proposed law could be reversed if it were challenged in
court.

If the bill becomes law, Barthwell said, it could have the unintended
consequences of harming not just drug addicts who need treatment, but
also the communities where they live.

"This is not a problem of someone other than us," she said of drug
addiction. "This is a problem that affects every American family,
directly or indirectly."