CALGARY (CANADA) METHADONE CLINIC CLOSURE:

As noted in previous postings a clinic has been forced to give up the battle to continue operations. An editorial 11 July in the Calgary Herald is a voice of reason, though perhaps too late to avoid the therapeutic abandonment facing the more than 500 patients now receiving treatment. Some excerpts:

“The loss of Second Chance Recovery is a blow to both drug addicts seeking treatment and to the city's reputation. The closure of the methadone clinic could have been avoided had aldermen shown a willingness to address residents' concerns with facts, or seek another solution, such as changing the zoning law to allow the clinic in an industrial park.

“Now Calgary looks like a city that would rather deny the existence of social problems than deal with them... The problem is a lack of leadership. The clinic's operators are tired of fighting City Hall, and who can blame them. They've been shut down three times in six years, and have reasonably concluded Calgary will not support the clinic.

“Police say they have never recorded increased crime rates where clinics have been located, and are more concerned about the impact the closure will have on the city.”

For full editorial click here