METHADONE CLINICS MAY BE RESTRICTED

Myrtle Beach wants to close a loophole in its zoning laws that allows
methadone clinics near neighborhoods, schools and public buildings.

To do that, the city might restrict all outpatient clinics for the
treatment of alcohol and drug addictions to areas designated for medical
use, where city officials say they belong.

Methadone is a synthetic drug that blocks addiction to opiates such as heroin.

The city's Planning Commission discussed the zoning changes at a workshop
Tuesday. City Council already has imposed a moratorium blocking permits for
clinics until the issue is resolved.

"This would not prohibit the clinics," said Councilwoman Susan Grissom
Means. "That's not the point. It would just make sure that they're where
they can best operate."

The county already regulates methadone clinics, and the city is moving to
make sure clinics don't avoid the county's strict laws by settling in the city.

Currently, there are no methadone clinics in Horry County, though there are
clinics in Charleston, Greenville and Wilmington, N.C.

Horry County Council approved an ordinance in 1998 restricting clinics to
certain office areas and commercial sites near highways, and then only with
a special permit. Also, no clinic can open within 2,000 feet of a church,
public building or residential area, according to Roland Meyer, the
county's zoning administrator.

No methadone clinic has approached the county for permission to open since
the zoning restrictions were implemented, Meyer said.

The county's law came about after Socastee residents objected to plans for
a clinic on U.S. 17 Bypass just south of S.C. 707. Residents said they
worried the clinic could spur crime and drug use in the area.

The controversy in Socastee also was felt in Columbia, where the
legislature, also in 1998, passed a temporary moratorium on new clinics.
The ban was lifted in May when the state Department of Health and
Environmental Control wrote new regulations for clinics and methadone treatment.