METHADONE CLINIC IS LEGAL ISSUE, NOT MORAL ONE

This letter is in reference to the methadone clinic. I would like to thank
the Horry County Board of Adjustments and Zoning Appeals for abiding by the
laws that are set for these circumstances. Closing the methadone clinic
should not be a "moral" issue and should be based on the law.

Many people want the clinic (in Fantasy Harbour, near U.S. 501) closed
down because they claim it will bring crime to our area. There is
little proof of that. The people who are seeking treatment are people
just like us. They have families, and they work every day. Just
because they seek methadone treatment, it does not mean that they are
thugs, prostitutes or thieves. If this treatment helps them function
better in society, then they should be able to receive the treatment
without hassle.

S.C. Rep. Thad Viers, R-Socastee, has a lot of nerve trying to impose
his beliefs [about the clinic on the zoning board]. Even his comment
about the zoning board members [that they could quickly be replaced]
was way out of line. Maybe he needs to start thinking of his place and
try to remember that the voting rights of the methadone supporters
matter, too.

This should not be a moral issue. This issue is about the rights of
people to receive treatment when they are in need. The methadone
clinic patients have a right to be able to receive this treatment, and
they also have a right to privacy. Closing this clinic will be a
setback in medical and ethical treatment that people desperately deserve.

The writer lives in Socastee.