showpostcount({"version":"1.0","encoding":"UTF-8","feed":{"xmlns":"http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom","xmlns$openSearch":"http://a9.com/-/spec/opensearchrss/1.0/","xmlns$georss":"http://www.georss.org/georss","id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5618073"},"updated":{"$t":"2009-07-06T00:11:15.012-04:00"},"title":{"type":"text","$t":"NAMA News Blog"},"subtitle":{"type":"html","$t":"A Blog to record current methadone news and policy issues."},"link":[{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#feed","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://namablog.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5618073/posts/default?alt\u003djson-in-script"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http://namablog.blogspot.com/"},{"rel":"hub","href":"http://pubsubhubbub.appspot.com/"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"exalted president"},"uri":{"$t":"http://www.blogger.com/profile/18212438105891037137"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"}}],"generator":{"version":"7.00","uri":"http://www.blogger.com","$t":"Blogger"},"openSearch$totalResults":{"$t":"9"},"openSearch$startIndex":{"$t":"1"},"openSearch$itemsPerPage":{"$t":"25"},"entry":[{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5618073.post-105927672089778202"},"published":{"$t":"2003-07-26T23:32:00.000-04:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2003-07-26T23:32:00.853-04:00"},"title":{"type":"text","$t":""},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"The Union Leader (Manchester NH)\r\u003cbr /\u003eJuly 18, 2003 Friday STATE EDITION\r\u003cbr /\u003eSECTION: LOCAL; Pg. B2\r\u003cbr /\u003eLENGTH: 649 words\r\u003cbr /\u003eBYLINE: By DAVID LAZAR Union Leader Correspondent\r\u003cbr /\u003e\r\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cfont size\u003d\"+2\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eMissing methadone bottle was bound for Seacoast clinic \u003c/b\u003e\u003c/font\u003e\r\u003cbr /\u003e(CORRECTION ATTACHED)\r\u003cbr /\u003e\r\u003cbr /\u003e\r\u003cbr /\u003e   LONDONDERRY -- A missing one-liter bottle of the potent narcotic methadone apparently was on its way to an abuse prevention clinic in Somersworth before it was stolen from a local trucking company warehouse, police said yesterday.\r\u003cbr /\u003e\r\u003cbr /\u003e   \"Our concern is the safety of heroin or methadone clinic patients,\" Lt. Mike Bennett said. \"The exact science of mixing this chemical is something that should only be done by someone with training. It's toxic and fatal if not taken in the prescribed dose and is not something anyone should be fooling with.\"\r\u003cbr /\u003e\r\u003cbr /\u003e   An ounce of the purplish liquid, used to help heroin addicts kick their dependency, is potent enough for 30 diluted doses. The white bottle, with blue and black lettering, is packaged much like a quart of oil, Bennett said, with markers on the side measuring the remaining level.\r\u003cbr /\u003e\r\u003cbr /\u003e   Police are still investigating whether the stolen bottle can be linked to what may have been a fatal overdose reported Tuesday night in Manchester. \r\u003cbr /\u003e\r\u003cbr /\u003e   Police say Corey Martin, 22, of Manchester, was found dead in his car late Tuesday night. Manchester police, however, have not linked Martin's death to an overdose.\r\u003cbr /\u003e\r\u003cbr /\u003e   \"We are investigating an unattended death. We are awaiting the toxicology reports to determine the exact cause of death,\" said Manchester Police Sgt. Lloyd Doughty yesterday.\r\u003cbr /\u003e\r\u003cbr /\u003e   Martin was a former worker at BSP Trucking on Liberty Drive, police said.\r\u003cbr /\u003e\r\u003cbr /\u003e   The bottle that's missing was part of a case Martin's family returned to the warehouse after learning of his death and going through his belongings Wednesday.\r\u003cbr /\u003e\r\u003cbr /\u003e   Police aren't yet saying how they believe Martin came to possess the case.\r\u003cbr /\u003e\r\u003cbr /\u003e   Still, there is one bottle out there, they say, and that's enough to do quite a bit of damage, says the director of the state's alcohol and drug abuse prevention and recovery program.\r\u003cbr /\u003e\r\u003cbr /\u003e   \"An addict who doesn't know enough about this drug will take as much as is available without any concern for the potency,\" director Riley Regan said yesterday. \"I sure as hell hope this isn't a situation where someone doesn't know what they've got in their hands.\"\r\u003cbr /\u003e\r\u003cbr /\u003e   If it is, Regan worries it could be a bomb waiting to explode. Used by the state's three Massachusetts-run methadone clinics -- in Manchester, Somersworth and Hudson -- to treat heroin addicts, the narcotic's place in medicine has long been the subject of debate.\r\u003cbr /\u003e\r\u003cbr /\u003e   Developed in the early 1960s by a pair of New York physicians as a treatment, methadone has been found to block the effects, and ultimately the craving, among users of heroin. It is also known to create its own sense of narcotic euphoria.\r\u003cbr /\u003e\r\u003cbr /\u003e   Some argue it's giving drug users a new addiction to get rid of an old one. Proponents of the program -- one in which the users themselves must pay about $105 a week for treatment -- say it's a way, if clinically monitored, to\r\u003cbr /\u003eeliminate addiction altogether, along with the help of counseling and other aftercare.\r\u003cbr /\u003e\r\u003cbr /\u003e   According to Regan, Manchester's center reported around 130 patients over the last year, with another 211 going to the Hudson clinic. The Somersworth clinic, meanwhile, opened last month amid controversy among residents, some of whom complained it would bring a criminal element into their community.\r\u003cbr /\u003e\r\u003cbr /\u003e   The centers, open from 6 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., are voluntary, and Regan says rough numbers suggest upwards of a 30 percent recovery rate.\r\u003cbr /\u003e\r\u003cbr /\u003e   \"It's the only way to get some people onto the fringes of a recovery program, \" he said. \"It's been far more successful at getting people into recovery than our abstinence-only programs.\"\r\u003cbr /\u003e\r\u003cbr /\u003e   It's also, he concedes, walking a medical tightrope at times. The bottle missing from Londonderry, he says, can be nothing but bad news.\r\u003cbr /\u003e\r\u003cbr /\u003e   \"Hearing there may have been an overdose, that really worries me if it gets into the wrong person's hands,\" he said.\r\u003cbr /\u003e\r\u003cbr /\u003e   Londonderry police are asking anyone with information about the bottle to contact them at 432-1118.\r\u003cbr /\u003e\r\u003cbr /\u003e   -----\r\u003cbr /\u003e\r\u003cbr /\u003e\r\u003cbr /\u003eCORRECTION: \r\u003cbr /\u003e20030719 -- The bottle of methadone reported stolen from a Londonderry trucking warehouse was part of a case bound for the Discovery House methadone clinic in Winslow, Maine. Its destination was incorrectly reported on Page B2 yesterday as the Community Substance Abuse Center in Somersworth.\r\u003cbr /\u003e\r\u003cbr /\u003eCopyright 2003 Union Leader Corp.\u003cdiv class\u003d\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003e\u003cimg width\u003d'1' height\u003d'1' src\u003d'https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5618073-105927672089778202?l\u003dnamablog.blogspot.com' alt\u003d'' /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e"},"link":[{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5618073/posts/default/105927672089778202"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5618073/posts/default/105927672089778202"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http://namablog.blogspot.com/2003_07_01_archive.html#105927672089778202","title":""}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"exalted president"},"uri":{"$t":"http://www.blogger.com/profile/18212438105891037137"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$extendedProperty":{"xmlns$gd":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005","name":"OpenSocialUserId","value":"14708503635411490441"}}]},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5618073.post-105927533186147818"},"published":{"$t":"2003-07-26T23:08:00.000-04:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2003-07-26T23:15:05.543-04:00"},"title":{"type":"text","$t":""},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"The Argus (Fremont, CA)\r\u003cbr /\u003eJuly 22, 2003 Tuesday\r\u003cbr /\u003eBYLINE: By Josh Richman, STAFF WRITER\r\u003cbr /\u003eSECTION: MORE LOCAL NEWS\r\u003cbr /\u003eLENGTH: 568 words\r\u003cbr /\u003e \r\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cfont size\u003d\"+2\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eStudy: Prop. 36 has good first year; Treatment-not-jails plan improving health, saving money, co-author says\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/font\u003e\r\u003cbr /\u003e\r\u003cbr /\u003e   California's treatment-not-jails law for nonviolent drug offenders placed  30,469 people in treatment programs during its first year, according to its first official audit.\r\u003cbr /\u003e \r\u003cbr /\u003e   University of California, Los Angeles researchers -- chosen by the state to  track results of Proposition 36 of 2000, the Substance Abuse and Crime  Prevention Act -- reported last week that:\r\u003cbr /\u003e \r\u003cbr /\u003e   About half those offenders were getting treatment for the first time;\r\u003cbr /\u003e \r\u003cbr /\u003e   86 percent went into outpatient drug-free programs, 10 percent into long-term residential programs and the rest into other treatment;\r\u003cbr /\u003e \r\u003cbr /\u003e   About half cited methamphetamine as their main problem, about 15 percent cited cocaine or crack and about 11 percent cited heroin;\r\u003cbr /\u003e \r\u003cbr /\u003e   About half were white, about 31 percent were Latino and about 14 percent were African-American, while 72 percent were men;\r\u003cbr /\u003e \r\u003cbr /\u003e   Proposition 36 clients were just about as likely to stay in treatment as other people.\r\u003cbr /\u003e \r\u003cbr /\u003e   The study covers all of California for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2002.\r\u003cbr /\u003e \r\u003cbr /\u003e   The participation is notable considering how local agencies had to cooperate on planning and administration, assessment coordination, offender treatment and supervision, training and troubleshooting, said Douglas Longshore, a behavioral scientist and the study's lead author.\r\u003cbr /\u003e \r\u003cbr /\u003e   \"Despite the challenges and ongoing concerns over funding, most county representatives offered favorable reports on local implementation,\" he said.\r\u003cbr /\u003e \r\u003cbr /\u003e   Proposition 36 lets adults convicted of nonviolent drug crimes and meeting certain other requirements be sentenced to probation with drug treatment instead of imprisonment. Also eligible are some probationers or parolees who violate drug-related conditions of their release.\r\u003cbr /\u003e \r\u003cbr /\u003e   The report says state courts found 53,697 drug offenders eligible for  Proposition 36 placement in that first year, of whom 44,043 -- 82 percent -- chose to participate. Of those, 37,495 -- 85 percent -- had their needs\r\u003cbr /\u003eassessed and 81 percent of those -- 30,469 -- entered treatment. The study noted that to have 69 percent of offenders who opt for it in court actually enter treatment is a good \"show\" rate compared with other drug treatment referral studies.\r\u003cbr /\u003e \r\u003cbr /\u003e   \"The UCLA study proves that Proposition 36 works,\" said Daniel Abrahamson, the law's co-author and the Drug Policy Alliance's legal affairs director. \"Tens of thousands of people who were previously denied treatment are getting it; hundreds of millions of dollars are being saved. And as a result, individuals, their families and their communities continue to get healthier.\"\r\u003cbr /\u003e \r\u003cbr /\u003e   The UCLA study didn't gauge the law's fiscal impact, but the Drug Policy Alliance tried to do so by assuming about three quarters of the 37,495 people assessed for treatment otherwise would've gone to county jails for an average of 23 days, and the rest would have gone to state prison for an average of 16 months. Based on a $28,000 annual cost of incarceration, they figured Proposition 36 helped avoid an average cost of$10,640 per offender --about $399 million total -- less $120 million in treatment costs, for a net savings of about $279 million.\r\u003cbr /\u003e \r\u003cbr /\u003e   The state Legislative Analyst's Office had predicted savings from Proposition 36 wouldn't top $250 million until the law's third or fourth year, Abrahamson noted. \"We've exceeded those predictions in the first year.\"\r\u003cbr /\u003e \r\u003cbr /\u003e   Contact Josh Richman at jrichman@angnewspapers.com .\r\u003cbr /\u003e \r\u003cbr /\u003eCopyright 2003 MediaNews Group, Inc. and ANG Newspapers\u003cdiv class\u003d\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003e\u003cimg width\u003d'1' height\u003d'1' src\u003d'https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5618073-105927533186147818?l\u003dnamablog.blogspot.com' alt\u003d'' /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e"},"link":[{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5618073/posts/default/105927533186147818"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5618073/posts/default/105927533186147818"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http://namablog.blogspot.com/2003_07_01_archive.html#105927533186147818","title":""}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"exalted president"},"uri":{"$t":"http://www.blogger.com/profile/18212438105891037137"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$extendedProperty":{"xmlns$gd":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005","name":"OpenSocialUserId","value":"14708503635411490441"}}]},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5618073.post-10592752653560399"},"published":{"$t":"2003-07-26T23:07:00.000-04:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2003-07-26T23:14:15.676-04:00"},"title":{"type":"text","$t":""},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"THE SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER\r\u003cbr /\u003eJuly 18, 2003, Friday FINAL\r\u003cbr /\u003eSECTION: NEWS, Pg. B2\r\u003cbr /\u003eLENGTH: 187 words\r\u003cbr /\u003eSOURCE: P-I STAFF\r\u003cbr /\u003e\r\u003cbr /\u003e\r\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cfont size\u003d\"+2\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eMORATORIUM ON METHADONE CLINICS IS LIFTED\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/font\u003e\r\u003cbr /\u003e\r\u003cbr /\u003e\r\u003cbr /\u003e\r\u003cbr /\u003eDATELINE: EVERETT\r\u003cbr /\u003e\r\u003cbr /\u003eThe City Council lifted a six-month moratorium on methadone treatment clinics this week, potentially paving the way for one of the first clinics serving heroin and opiate addicts to open in Snohomish County.\r\u003cbr /\u003e\r\u003cbr /\u003e   The council passed an ordinance to allow one clinic to locate in commercial zones south of the Boeing freeway, in an effort to keep a proposed facility of the downtown area. Neighbors complained after the non-profit Therapeutic Health Services tried to open a clinic near Grand Avenue and Wall Street.\r\u003cbr /\u003e\r\u003cbr /\u003e   Because there are currently no methadone clinics north of the King County line, hundreds of addicts regularly travel hours by bus or car to get doses of the synthetic drug that keep withdrawal symptoms at bay.\r\u003cbr /\u003e\r\u003cbr /\u003e   The state estimates Snohomish County needs at least three centers to treat 1,000 opiate addicts.\r\u003cbr /\u003e\r\u003cbr /\u003e   The first is scheduled to open later this year on land owned by the Stillaguamish tribe near Arlington.\r\u003cbr /\u003e\r\u003cbr /\u003e   Under a change in state law, local governments can no longer reject unpopular and difficult-to-site methadone treatment clinics, which have been deemed essential public facilities.\r\u003cbr /\u003e\r\u003cbr /\u003eCopyright 2003 Seattle Post-Intelligencer\u003cdiv class\u003d\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003e\u003cimg width\u003d'1' height\u003d'1' src\u003d'https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5618073-10592752653560399?l\u003dnamablog.blogspot.com' alt\u003d'' /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e"},"link":[{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5618073/posts/default/10592752653560399"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5618073/posts/default/10592752653560399"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http://namablog.blogspot.com/2003_07_01_archive.html#10592752653560399","title":""}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"exalted president"},"uri":{"$t":"http://www.blogger.com/profile/18212438105891037137"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$extendedProperty":{"xmlns$gd":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005","name":"OpenSocialUserId","value":"14708503635411490441"}}]},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5618073.post-105927515324855492"},"published":{"$t":"2003-07-26T23:05:00.000-04:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2003-07-26T23:05:53.300-04:00"},"title":{"type":"text","$t":""},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"JTO Direct - Weekly News Edition \r\u003cbr /\u003e7/26/03\r\u003cbr /\u003e\r\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cfont size\u003d\"+2\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eReport: Removing Addicts SSI Benefits a Failure\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/font\u003e\r\u003cbr /\u003e\r\u003cbr /\u003e\r\u003cbr /\u003e \r\u003cbr /\u003e \r\u003cbr /\u003eResearch into the ramifications of removing addicted individuals from a federal Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program in 1996 shows that most individuals have not returned to work as originally projected, the Associated Press reported July 21.\r\u003cbr /\u003e\r\u003cbr /\u003eThe Drug Addiction and Alcohol program under SSI provided low-income, addicted people with about $500 a month, plus health benefits through Medicaid, if they were receiving treatment.\r\u003cbr /\u003e\r\u003cbr /\u003eAn estimated 170,000 people were enrolled nationally in the program before the U.S. Congress terminated the benefit as part of an overhaul of the country's welfare system.\r\u003cbr /\u003e\r\u003cbr /\u003e\"There was widespread observation in Congress that when benefits were terminated, people would go back to work,\" said Jim Baumohl of Bryn Mawr College, one of the researchers who examined the impact of the policy change.\r\u003cbr /\u003e\r\u003cbr /\u003eThe study, conducted over two years, included interviews with about 2,000 people in nine cities and counties who had their benefits terminated. The research showed that 37 percent of the study's participants re-qualified for SSI by proving that they had other disabilities, while another 27 percent replaced at least half of the money lost through other welfare programs, wages, or help from family and friends.\r\u003cbr /\u003e\r\u003cbr /\u003eThose who lost the benefits and were unable to replace them were 60 to 70 percent more likely to suffer material hardships. Furthermore, people were less likely to receive treatment once the Drug Addiction and Alcohol program ended.\r\u003cbr /\u003e\r\u003cbr /\u003eThe research was led by Jean Norris of the Public Health Institute in California. The study's findings are published in the July 21 online journal Contemporary Drug Problems.\r\u003cbr /\u003e\r\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cdiv class\u003d\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003e\u003cimg width\u003d'1' height\u003d'1' src\u003d'https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5618073-105927515324855492?l\u003dnamablog.blogspot.com' alt\u003d'' /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e"},"link":[{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5618073/posts/default/105927515324855492"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5618073/posts/default/105927515324855492"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http://namablog.blogspot.com/2003_07_01_archive.html#105927515324855492","title":""}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"exalted president"},"uri":{"$t":"http://www.blogger.com/profile/18212438105891037137"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$extendedProperty":{"xmlns$gd":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005","name":"OpenSocialUserId","value":"14708503635411490441"}}]},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5618073.post-105927498169507816"},"published":{"$t":"2003-07-26T23:03:00.000-04:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2003-07-26T23:03:01.726-04:00"},"title":{"type":"text","$t":""},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"Join Together\r\u003cbr /\u003e7/18/2003 \r\u003cbr /\u003e\r\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cfont size\u003d\"+2\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eMA: Amid Budget Cuts, Treatment Attacked\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/font\u003e\r\u003cbr /\u003e\r\u003cbr /\u003e\r\u003cbr /\u003e \r\u003cbr /\u003eSome Massachusetts lawmakers are questioning the priority placed on funding addiction treatment, noting that treatment programs receive more state money than any single state college, community policing, or a program to expand kindergarten from half-day to full-day.\r\u003cbr /\u003e\r\u003cbr /\u003eThe Lowell Sun reported July 14 that despite widespread budget cuts, lawmakers dedicated $37 million to addiction treatment. Some legislators complained that treatment should be the last priority, not the first.\r\u003cbr /\u003e\r\u003cbr /\u003e\"I'm just saying that if we came down to our last dollar, this would not be where I would put that last dollar,\" said Rep. Bradley Jones of North Reading. \r\u003cbr /\u003e\r\u003cbr /\u003ePutting aside $4.5 million for methadone treatment was particularly problematic for some legislators, although advocates said that the funding would save the state in incarceration and healthcare costs.\r\u003cbr /\u003e\r\u003cbr /\u003e\"We've got elderly people who really need help and have been cut just like schools and public safety, yet we have to put in the methadone funding,\" said Rep. Robert A. Hargraves (R-Groton). \"I'd like to see that money go to things like nursing homes.\"\r\u003cbr /\u003e\r\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cdiv class\u003d\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003e\u003cimg width\u003d'1' height\u003d'1' src\u003d'https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5618073-105927498169507816?l\u003dnamablog.blogspot.com' alt\u003d'' /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e"},"link":[{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5618073/posts/default/105927498169507816"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5618073/posts/default/105927498169507816"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http://namablog.blogspot.com/2003_07_01_archive.html#105927498169507816","title":""}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"exalted president"},"uri":{"$t":"http://www.blogger.com/profile/18212438105891037137"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$extendedProperty":{"xmlns$gd":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005","name":"OpenSocialUserId","value":"14708503635411490441"}}]},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5618073.post-105927441982309942"},"published":{"$t":"2003-07-26T22:53:00.000-04:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2003-07-26T23:16:02.896-04:00"},"title":{"type":"text","$t":""},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"SUN STAFF\r\u003cbr /\u003eJuly 19, 2003 Saturday FINAL Edition\r\u003cbr /\u003eSECTION: LOCAL, Pg. 2B\r\u003cbr /\u003eLENGTH: 654 words\r\u003cbr /\u003eBYLINE: Laura Cadiz\r\u003cbr /\u003e\r\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cfont size\u003d\"+2\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eMethadone clinic head says facility won't open at disputed Howard site;\r\u003cbr /\u003eNotification to state elates Columbia village residents\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/font\u003e\r\u003cbr /\u003e\r\u003cbr /\u003e\r\u003cbr /\u003e   After facing fierce community opposition, the president of a methadone clinic proposed for Columbia's Oakland Mills village notified the state yesterday that he will not open the facility there.\r\u003cbr /\u003e\r\u003cbr /\u003e   Nelson J. Sabatini, secretary of the state Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, said yesterday that he did not know if Aktam Zahalka, the clinic's president, intended to apply to operate his business at another location.\r\u003cbr /\u003e\r\u003cbr /\u003e   \"Hallelujah!\" Councilwoman Barbara Russell of Oakland Mills said after she heard the news. \"I am absolutely joyful.\"\r\u003cbr /\u003e\r\u003cbr /\u003e   Oakland Mills residents and elected officials had been battling the clinic for four weeks after hearing it was to open in the Stevens Forest Professional Center, which is near four schools and three preschools or day care\r\u003cbr /\u003ecenters.\r\u003cbr /\u003e\r\u003cbr /\u003e   In light of Oakland Mills' overwhelming opposition to the clinic, Sabatini is pledging to better notify the affected communities when such facilities are proposed. He said once the state receives an application for a methadone\r\u003cbr /\u003eclinic, the Health Department will notify the appropriate state delegates and place an ad in the local newspaper.\r\u003cbr /\u003e\r\u003cbr /\u003e   \"I think that the community was voicing some very legitimate concerns about the appropriateness of a center like this being located in a place that was that close to a school,\" he said. \"I also understand and recognize a need for addictions treatment, (and) we need to balance the community concerns with that need.\"\r\u003cbr /\u003e\r\u003cbr /\u003e   Zahalka could not be reached for comment yesterday. It was unclear why he decided not to operate the clinic in Oakland Mills after declaring July 9 that he would open it as planned.\r\u003cbr /\u003e\r\u003cbr /\u003e   The Oakland Mills community heard about Zahalka's planned clinic after a constituent alerted Howard County Councilman David A. Rakes. The community has held three meetings -- each with more than 100 residents in attendance -- to develop ways to protest the clinic. They started a petition drive and sent letters to local and state officials to make their opposition known.\r\u003cbr /\u003e\r\u003cbr /\u003e   Del. Shane E. Pendergrass, a Howard County Democrat, called the decision not to open the clinic \"the good news of the summer\" and congratulated residents on their protest.\r\u003cbr /\u003e\r\u003cbr /\u003e   \"It's particularly heartwarming because the Oakland Mills residents did this, \" she said. \"I hope all of the residents of Oakland Mills are feeling very, very good about what they can accomplish when they work together within the law.\"\r\u003cbr /\u003e\r\u003cbr /\u003e   Rakes had led efforts to persuade Zahalka and Whalen Properties, which owns the office space, to move the clinic to a nonresidential area. This month, he and Zahalka visited some alternative sites but were unsuccessful in finding an office that Zahalka deemed appropriate.\r\u003cbr /\u003e\r\u003cbr /\u003e   Part of Zahalka's demands for moving to a new location included that he be reimbursed the $5,587 he invested in the space, and Whalen Properties also wanted to be paid $14,000 for the money spent on renovating the office\r\u003cbr /\u003espace.\r\u003cbr /\u003e\r\u003cbr /\u003e   But Rakes said yesterday the money demand is now \"off the table.\"\r\u003cbr /\u003e\r\u003cbr /\u003e   \"He's essentially leaving on his own, so he can't say we caused him to leave, \" Rakes said. \"From our standpoint, that's a nonissue.\"\r\u003cbr /\u003e\r\u003cbr /\u003e   Zahalka's lease began July 1, but his business, the Human Care Development Service clinic, was never fully approved to dispense methadone, a synthetic opiate given to heroin addicts to help control withdrawal symptoms and curb their habit.\r\u003cbr /\u003e\r\u003cbr /\u003e   Methadone facilities need certification by the state Office of Health Care Quality, the federal Drug Enforcement Administration and the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment, an arm of the U.S. Department of Health and\r\u003cbr /\u003eHuman Services.\r\u003cbr /\u003e\r\u003cbr /\u003e   Despite the opposition to the facility in their area, Russell said she hopes Zahalka is successful in finding an appropriate location for his clinic.\r\u003cbr /\u003e\r\u003cbr /\u003e   \"I wish him well,\" Russell said. \"We were never against him opening a methadone clinic. We were only against him opening one in the middle of our community, near our schools.\"\r\u003cbr /\u003e\r\u003cbr /\u003eCopyright 2003 The Baltimore Sun Company\r\u003cbr /\u003eAll Rights Reserved\r\u003cbr /\u003eThe Baltimore Sun\r\u003cbr /\u003e\r\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cdiv class\u003d\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003e\u003cimg width\u003d'1' height\u003d'1' src\u003d'https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5618073-105927441982309942?l\u003dnamablog.blogspot.com' alt\u003d'' /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e"},"link":[{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5618073/posts/default/105927441982309942"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5618073/posts/default/105927441982309942"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http://namablog.blogspot.com/2003_07_01_archive.html#105927441982309942","title":""}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"exalted president"},"uri":{"$t":"http://www.blogger.com/profile/18212438105891037137"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$extendedProperty":{"xmlns$gd":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005","name":"OpenSocialUserId","value":"14708503635411490441"}}]},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5618073.post-105927436462092693"},"published":{"$t":"2003-07-26T22:52:00.000-04:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2003-07-26T23:24:41.146-04:00"},"title":{"type":"text","$t":""},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"The Arizona Republic\r\u003cbr /\u003eJune 10, 2003 Tuesday Final chaser Edition\r\u003cbr /\u003eBYLINE: By Monica Alonzo-Dunsmoor\r\u003cbr /\u003eSECTION: LOCAL; Pg. 5B\r\u003cbr /\u003eLENGTH: 428 words\r\u003cbr /\u003e\r\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cfont size\u003d\"+2\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eGLENDALE PLANNERS REJECT METHADONE CLINIC PERMIT; BUSINESS OWNERS,\r\u003cbr /\u003eRESIDENTS FOUGHT DOWNTOWN SITE\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/font\u003e\r\u003cbr /\u003e\r\u003cbr /\u003e\r\u003cbr /\u003e   George Stavros is looking for a new home for a methadone clinic in downtown Glendale.\r\u003cbr /\u003e\r\u003cbr /\u003e   The Glendale Planning Commission on Thursday unanimously denied Community Medical Services a permit to continue operating at a building at Lamar Road and 55th Avenue.\r\u003cbr /\u003e\r\u003cbr /\u003e   \"We'll move, but we have to have a little time to do that,\" said Stavros, clinic medical director. \"We've let our patients know we have to move, but we will take care of them.\"\r\u003cbr /\u003e\r\u003cbr /\u003e   Glendale officials filed an injunction in Maricopa County Superior Court to stop the clinic from operating. A hearing is scheduled for Friday, and a judge will likely decide how much time the clinic will have to relocate.\r\u003cbr /\u003e\r\u003cbr /\u003e   The clinic, which provides substance abuse counseling and methadone treatment, has been operating at the location since January.\r\u003cbr /\u003e\r\u003cbr /\u003e   After listening to nearly three hours of angry comments from residents and business owners, and pleas from recovering drug addicts, the Planning Commission denied an operating permit to the clinic.\r\u003cbr /\u003e\r\u003cbr /\u003e   Stavros said the company did not plan to appeal the commission's decision. He said the clinic, which provides methadone treatment, mental health and substance abuse counseling, would look for a space with better zoning that is close to bus service.\r\u003cbr /\u003e\r\u003cbr /\u003e   Residents complained of increased crime in the area and said that the company tried to sneak into the neighborhood without notifying residents. Business owners said clients of the clinic were causing property damage, stealing and scaring away customers and vendors.\r\u003cbr /\u003e\r\u003cbr /\u003e   \"I'm disappointed,\" Stavros said. \"And I'm sorry that the public feels the way they do. We never did anything underhanded.\"\r\u003cbr /\u003e\r\u003cbr /\u003e   Glendale Police Lt. Layne Slapper told commissioners there was not a significant difference in police calls or criminal reports since the clinic arrived in downtown, compared with last year.\r\u003cbr /\u003e\r\u003cbr /\u003e   A few recovering drug addicts tried to sway the commissioners, testifying nervously that the clinic changed their lives.\r\u003cbr /\u003e\r\u003cbr /\u003e   Colleen Conerty, a Glendale woman who, with the help of methadone, is recovering from a 25-year drug addiction, objected to the way clients were characterized.\r\u003cbr /\u003e\r\u003cbr /\u003e   \"The clinic is not the problem,\" she said. \"The problem is people not knowing what methadone is or what the clinic is about.\"\r\u003cbr /\u003e\r\u003cbr /\u003e   Some business owners, however, talked about how the clinic had affected their businesses.\r\u003cbr /\u003e\r\u003cbr /\u003e   \"This is not in an appropriate area,\" said Ruben Gutierrez, one of the leaders of the Heart of Glendale, a neighborhood association. \"It just doesn't work.\"\r\u003cbr /\u003e\r\u003cbr /\u003e\r\u003cbr /\u003e   Reach the reporter at monica.dunsmoor@arizonarepublic.com or (602) 444-6925.\r\u003cbr /\u003e\r\u003cbr /\u003eCopyright 2003 The Arizona Republic\r\u003cbr /\u003eAll Rights Reserved\r\u003cbr /\u003eThe Arizona Republic\u003cdiv class\u003d\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003e\u003cimg width\u003d'1' height\u003d'1' src\u003d'https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5618073-105927436462092693?l\u003dnamablog.blogspot.com' alt\u003d'' /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e"},"link":[{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5618073/posts/default/105927436462092693"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5618073/posts/default/105927436462092693"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http://namablog.blogspot.com/2003_07_01_archive.html#105927436462092693","title":""}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"exalted president"},"uri":{"$t":"http://www.blogger.com/profile/18212438105891037137"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$extendedProperty":{"xmlns$gd":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005","name":"OpenSocialUserId","value":"14708503635411490441"}}]},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5618073.post-105927378619945538"},"published":{"$t":"2003-07-26T22:43:00.000-04:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2003-07-26T23:27:13.483-04:00"},"title":{"type":"text","$t":""},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"The Associated Press State \u0026 Local Wire\r\u003cbr /\u003eJuly 20, 2003, Sunday, BC cycle\r\u003cbr /\u003eSECTION: State and Regional\r\u003cbr /\u003eLENGTH: 523 words\r\u003cbr /\u003e\r\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cfont size\u003d\"+2\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eState's methadone policy leads to waiting lists at clinics\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/font\u003e\r\u003cbr /\u003e\r\u003cbr /\u003eDATELINE: COLUMBUS, Ohio\r\u003cbr /\u003e\r\u003cbr /\u003e\r\u003cbr /\u003e   Ohio's resistance to increasing funding for methadone treatment has caused waiting lists to form at clinics that legally provide the substance.\r\u003cbr /\u003e\r\u003cbr /\u003e   Critics say this has led to the growth of black-market methadone sales and an increase in the potential for overdoses.\r\u003cbr /\u003e\r\u003cbr /\u003e   Methadone chemically blocks an addict's drive to get high from heroin, morphine, OxyContin and other opiates.\r\u003cbr /\u003e\r\u003cbr /\u003e   Although also an opiate, methadone is created in a laboratory and satisfies addicts' cravings without getting them high. Its supporters say it allows addicts to live stable and productive lives without enduring physically and\r\u003cbr /\u003epsychologically painful withdrawal.\r\u003cbr /\u003e\r\u003cbr /\u003e   \"There is not a question in the scientific community that it's extremely effective,\" said Leah Young, a spokeswoman for the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, the federal agency that regulates methadone clinics.\r\u003cbr /\u003e\r\u003cbr /\u003e   But opponents characterize methadone as a crutch that amounts to trading one addiction for another. Although it was intended as a means for gradually weaning addicts from drugs, many methadone patients take the drug for years - sometimes for life.\r\u003cbr /\u003e\r\u003cbr /\u003e   Ohio's methadone policy has been considered one of nation's most restrictive, The Columbus Dispatch reported on Sunday. \r\u003cbr /\u003e\r\u003cbr /\u003e   \"We have been criticized for that, but as a department we stand by our standards,\" said Stacey Frohnapfel Hasson, a spokeswoman for the Ohio Department of Alcohol and Drug Addiction Services.\r\u003cbr /\u003e\r\u003cbr /\u003e   She said the department's goal is to help addicts \"become drug-free - not drug-dependent on methadone.\"\r\u003cbr /\u003e\r\u003cbr /\u003e   The amount of state and local money allocated for methadone treatment in Ohio more than doubled between 1998 and 2001, to $8.8 million, but it hasn't kept pace with demand.\r\u003cbr /\u003e\r\u003cbr /\u003e   The CompDrug clinic in Columbus currently treats about 525 people.\r\u003cbr /\u003e\r\u003cbr /\u003e   The head of the clinic's methadone program, Ron Pogue, said the clinic could immediately fill 1,000 slots if it had the money. He said people who want to receive methadone are placed on a waiting list that would take about two years to satisfy at current funding rates.\r\u003cbr /\u003e\r\u003cbr /\u003e   \"A lot of people who call and are told how long the waiting list is don't even bother to get on the list,\" he said.\r\u003cbr /\u003e\r\u003cbr /\u003e   People who study addiction say the lack of methadone at public clinics has led desperate users to pay street dealers $50 or more for a dose of the substance, which costs about $8 at clinics.\r\u003cbr /\u003e\r\u003cbr /\u003e   Street dealers sometimes gather outside the clinics to sell methadone to people who don't want to go on waiting lists.\r\u003cbr /\u003e\r\u003cbr /\u003e   Researchers say that because methadone is released slowly into the bloodstream, it's easy for people to overdose on the substance and possibly die if they're not part of a closely monitored treatment program.\r\u003cbr /\u003e\r\u003cbr /\u003e   An autopsy by the Franklin County coroner's office said an accidental methadone overdose caused the death on May 2 of Carl Upchurch, a nationally known author and social activist who lived in suburban Bexley.\r\u003cbr /\u003e\r\u003cbr /\u003e   Upchurch's relatives declined comment through a family attorney. When his death was ruled an overdose last month, his sister-in-law said only that it was \"a complete surprise to the family.\"\r\u003cbr /\u003e\r\u003cbr /\u003eThe materials in the AP file were compiled by The Associated Press.  These materials may not be republished without the express written consent of The Associated Press.\u003cdiv class\u003d\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003e\u003cimg width\u003d'1' height\u003d'1' src\u003d'https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5618073-105927378619945538?l\u003dnamablog.blogspot.com' alt\u003d'' /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e"},"link":[{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5618073/posts/default/105927378619945538"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5618073/posts/default/105927378619945538"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http://namablog.blogspot.com/2003_07_01_archive.html#105927378619945538","title":""}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"exalted president"},"uri":{"$t":"http://www.blogger.com/profile/18212438105891037137"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$extendedProperty":{"xmlns$gd":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005","name":"OpenSocialUserId","value":"14708503635411490441"}}]},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5618073.post-105926769973705735"},"published":{"$t":"2003-07-26T21:01:00.000-04:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2003-07-26T23:28:32.590-04:00"},"title":{"type":"text","$t":""},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"Tulsa World (Oklahoma)\r\u003cbr /\u003eJuly 19, 2003 Saturday Final Home Edition\r\u003cbr /\u003eSECTION: NEWS; Tulsa; Pg. A23\r\u003cbr /\u003eLENGTH: 227 words\r\u003cbr /\u003eBYLINE: Staff Reports\r\u003cbr /\u003e\r\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cfont size\u003d\"+2\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eWoman accused of poisoning son due mental exams\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/font\u003e\r\u003cbr /\u003e\r\u003cbr /\u003e   A woman who is accused of administering a methadone overdose to injure her 6-year-old son will have her mental status evaluated twice, a Tulsa County judge decided Friday.\r\u003cbr /\u003e\r\u003cbr /\u003e   Patricia Robson, also known as Patricia Creger, awaits trial on a charge of injuring Tilman Robson, who a physician said received a \"life-threatening overdose\" of methadone.\r\u003cbr /\u003e\r\u003cbr /\u003e    Defense attorney Dave Keesling applied for the competency examination.\r\u003cbr /\u003e\r\u003cbr /\u003e   In a court document, Keesling wrote that he is unable to communicate with his client in order to prepare an adequate defense and that she has \"exhibited irrational behavior\" and \"is unable to consistently recall the events leading up to her arrest.\"\r\u003cbr /\u003e\r\u003cbr /\u003e    District Judge Jesse Harris ruled that along with being examined by an expert hired by the defense, Robson must also consent to an evaluation by a psychologist retained by prosecutors.\r\u003cbr /\u003e\r\u003cbr /\u003e   Harris scheduled a Sept. 30 court review for Robson, 42. She remains free on $100,000 bail.\r\u003cbr /\u003e\r\u003cbr /\u003e   Tilman was taken by ambulance to a Tulsa hospital on Jan. 29. He was initially listed in critical condition, and his mother was arrested Jan. 30 in Tulsa.\r\u003cbr /\u003e\r\u003cbr /\u003e   The boy has since been living in Washington state with his father, who has been embroiled in a divorce action with the defendant.\r\u003cbr /\u003e\r\u003cbr /\u003e   Methadone is a narcotic pain reliever that is also used in the treatment of addiction to heroin.\r\u003cbr /\u003e\r\u003cbr /\u003eCopyright 2003 The Tulsa World\u003cdiv class\u003d\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003e\u003cimg width\u003d'1' height\u003d'1' src\u003d'https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5618073-105926769973705735?l\u003dnamablog.blogspot.com' alt\u003d'' /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e"},"link":[{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5618073/posts/default/105926769973705735"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/5618073/posts/default/105926769973705735"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http://namablog.blogspot.com/2003_07_01_archive.html#105926769973705735","title":""}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"exalted president"},"uri":{"$t":"http://www.blogger.com/profile/18212438105891037137"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$extendedProperty":{"xmlns$gd":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005","name":"OpenSocialUserId","value":"14708503635411490441"}}]}]}});