Methadone

I think it's fantastic that Rev. Milton Williams is sticking his neck out on behalf of addicts in Baltimore by proposing to open his clinic to more people in serious need of methadone treatment ("Pastor to open on-demand methadone clinic at church," June 24). One thing the article did not mention is that methadone does not make addicts high but reduces cravings that lead to drug-seeking behavior and crime. However, it's imperative that readers know that methadone is also a highly effective primary treatment for chronic pain.

For many years, some Baltimore area neighborhood groups have fought strenuously against the addition of methadone clinics to their communities on the grounds that such facilities inevitably bring loiterers and traffic, depress property values and increase crime. Yet it may be time to take at least one of those objections off the list. A soon-to-be-published study that looked at incidents of crime in Baltimore over a two-year period found that the presence of a methadone clinic did not correlate with higher crime rates.

The Rev. Milton E. Williams' op-ed regarding his intention to provide methadone to patients within 15 minutes of a request deserves careful scrutiny ("Methadone on demand: Baltimore needs a program for patients who are not prepared for full-scale treatment," July 11). Mr. Williams' campaign to define, serve and save us from "victims" sounds charismatic, bold and possibly very dangerous. The victims may have a champion, but the regulators will have their hands full. Frank E. Long

Methadone clinics are often seen as the bad neighbor nobody wants. Residents concerned about crime and other quality-of-life issues often protest if they even hear word of a methadone clinic, which treats those addicted to heroin and other opiates, is considering moving into the area. But drug-addiction specialists who say methadone is one of the most effective ways to treat opiate dependency are hoping a new study led by a University of Maryland School of Medicine assistant professor debunks concerns that the clinics breed crime and drag down neighborhoods.

Tired of the heroin and crime surrounding his Northeast Baltimore church and treatment center, the Rev. Milton Williams said Thursday that he plans to open the city's first "open access" clinic, which will hand out methadone within 15 minutes to any addict who walks through the door. Williams said defiantly that he will open the doors of his Turning Point clinic on North Avenue on July 5 to possibly 100-150 addicts a night — though he still lacks approval from state and federal regulators.

Most Marylanders who died from methadone-related overdoses between 2000 and 2002 were from outside Baltimore, and few were known to be in drug treatment programs at the time of their deaths, new research shows. The study by the Center for Substance Abuse Research at the University of Maryland, College Park did not explain the reason for the recent increase in methadone deaths and could not determine whether the drug was more likely to be obtained legally or illegally. But in reviewing the medical records of the 56 residents who died from 2000 through 2002, the researchers found that 16 percent were known to be in treatment programs in which they would be given methadone.

The mother of a 5-year-old girl who died Feb. 8 after drinking methadone was arrested at her West Baltimore home Monday night and charged yesterday with second-degree murder, police said.Jacquelyn Turner, 28, of the 900 block of Bennett Place had told police that her daughter had drunk a cupful of the drug the morning of Feb. 7, then complained of being sleepy. Police said the mother found the girl dead the next day.Agent Robert W. Weinhold Jr., a city police spokesman, said earlier this month that the methadone had been bought illegally on the street, and that the mother knew the girl had ingested the drug, but authorities were not notified.

A woman was ordered to serve five years in prison yesterday after pleading guilty to involuntary manslaughter in the death of her 16-month-old son, who ingested methadone given to him in a two-handled Mickey Mouse cup, the Harford County state's attorney said. Kelley Jean Briggs, 23, of Rosedale claimed responsibility for the toddler's death in December 2004, said Harford State's Attorney Joseph I. Cassilly. Briggs also had been facing second-degree murder and first-degree child abuse charges.

A registered pharmacist surrendered to federal drug enforcement officials in Harford County yesterday after being indicted on charges that he ran an unlicensed methadone clinic in Joppa.James E. Hodges, owner and program director of J & H Home Health Services of Harford County, was indicted this month on charges of distributing methadone and levomethadyl acetate hydrochloride, two drugs used to treat narcotics addiction.An investigation by agents of the federal Drug Enforcement Administration and the Maryland State Police led to allegations that about 100 clients were receiving the drugs daily from Hodges' business in the 600 block of Pulaski Highway in Joppa.

Early next month, two vans will be driving through the streets of East and West Baltimore dispensing methadone to about 100 heroin addicts as part of a five-year drug treatment program, which, if proven successful, could be eventually be expanded to treat some of the city's estimated 35,000 heroin addicts.The Mobile Health Service (MHS) project is being funded by a $5 million grant from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). It will also provide health referral services to community residents for other illnesses, including diabetes, AIDS and high-blood pressure, from two trailers, which will be located on parking lots of local churches.

A Northeast Baltimore clinic that once pitched on-demand methadone to desperate addicts during the late-night hours is focusing on a new idea — paying addicts to come in for treatment. "We are targeting a non-traditional population of addicts that isn't so interested in treatment," said the Rev. Milton Williams, who runs Turning Point Clinic, housed in his New Life Evangelical Baptist Church. "This will be an incentive. " The state has yet to approve the original on-demand, or "open access" idea, citing federal rules that require, for example, a lengthy examination of anyone getting methadone, a Schedule 2 narcotic.

The Rev. Milton E. Williams' op-ed regarding his intention to provide methadone to patients within 15 minutes of a request deserves careful scrutiny ("Methadone on demand: Baltimore needs a program for patients who are not prepared for full-scale treatment," July 11). Mr. Williams' campaign to define, serve and save us from "victims" sounds charismatic, bold and possibly very dangerous. The victims may have a champion, but the regulators will have their hands full. Frank E. Long

There is a desperate and obvious need to re-create what methadone treatment for heroin addicts is: its purpose, practice and availability. Simply put, since the time methadone programs were created many decades ago, the nature of the beast - heroin addiction - has changed. One might ask, "Surely it means the same thing to be addicted to heroin today as it did, say, 50 years ago?" True, the nature of addiction itself has not changed; but almost every other aspect of the problem has. Crime, social consequences, prevalence in Baltimore, cost of the drug, social acceptance in ghetto areas: All these things are very different today than when methadone treatment programs, and the policies and practices surrounding them, were inaugurated long ago. If we are going to address this city's problems caused by heroin addiction, then it is going to require something qualitatively different than mere evolutionary changes in methadone treatment.

The operators of a proposed "open access" methadone clinic for heroin addicts, which promised treatment within 15 minutes, say they will delay the launch by 30 days to work out differences with state regulators. The clinic was to open July 5 from 6 p.m. to midnight, but state health officials said Turning Point in Northeast Baltimore did not have approvals and would possibly violate federal laws by skirting some examination requirements for drug treatment. The Rev. Milton E. Williams, president and the architect of the new clinic, had proposed the treatment scheme after becoming tired of the drugs and crime surrounding his church, which houses the new evening clinic and a conventional day-time one. The existing clinic also was cited for having an insufficient number of counselors and can't accept new addicts until it is re-inspected.

Baltimore City has long held the unfortunate title of "U.S. heroin capital. " Over the years, many people inside and outside of Baltimore have chosen to promulgate this unofficial designation when reporting on or portraying Baltimore's challenges with drugs, addiction and the residual effects of high crime, violence and other social ills. Baltimore, like many urban jurisdictions across the country, has suffered and continues to suffer tremendously from the consequences of illegal drugs flowing into our city.

I think it's fantastic that Rev. Milton Williams is sticking his neck out on behalf of addicts in Baltimore by proposing to open his clinic to more people in serious need of methadone treatment ("Pastor to open on-demand methadone clinic at church," June 24). One thing the article did not mention is that methadone does not make addicts high but reduces cravings that lead to drug-seeking behavior and crime. However, it's imperative that readers know that methadone is also a highly effective primary treatment for chronic pain.

A federal district judge ruled yesterday that there are too many lingering questions about the motivation behind a Baltimore County law that limits the location of methadone clinics to determine without trial whether the county or the operator of one such clinic should prevail in a three-year-old lawsuit. Judge Catherine C. Blake denied motions by the county and A Helping Hand LLC for summary judgment in a suit in which the Pikesville clinic alleges that the county's zoning law is discriminatory.

A methadone clinic in Pikesville that prompted Baltimore County Council members to pass regulations aimed at keeping drug treatment facilities from operating in neighborhoods will be allowed to remain open, a federal appellate court ruled yesterday. But the opinion issued by the judges sitting one level below the Supreme Court leaves some question about whether the county's 2002 law prohibiting state-licensed medical facilities from opening within 750 feet of homes violates the Americans with Disabilities Act. The opinion issued by the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals vacates an injunction issued by District Judge Catherine C. Blake last year prohibiting the county from enforcing its law on the location of clinics.

Tired of the heroin and crime surrounding his Northeast Baltimore church and treatment center, the Rev. Milton Williams said Thursday that he plans to open the city's first "open access" clinic, which will hand out methadone within 15 minutes to any addict who walks through the door. Williams said defiantly that he will open the doors of his Turning Point clinic on North Avenue on July 5 to possibly 100-150 addicts a night — though he still lacks approval from state and federal regulators.

Baltimore County — and specifically, Councilman Kevin Kamenetz — declared victory in a long-fought legal battle this week over whether a methadone clinic could operate in a residential area just north of the city line in Pikesville. It is a victory in that methadone clinics, just like any other business, are a good fit in some areas and not in others, and it would have been unreasonable if the Americans with Disabilities Act prevented the county or other local governments from exercising any control over where one is located.