NIMBY SUCCEEDED BY "BANANA" (BUILD ABSOLUTELY NOTHING ANYWHERE NEAR ANYTHING):

That could be the conclusion drawn from an article in the Herald-Citizen (Tennessee) on 28 June. The headline: "Methadone clinic denied in Spencer." The 2007 population of Spencer, Tenn, was 1685. the reason the State denied approval for a proposed methadone clinic: "the rural status of Spencer." Go figure....!

DRUG PROBLEMS OF IRAQ/AFGHAN VETS COULD DWARF THOSE OF VIETNAM ERA:

That is the alarming (but not surprising) headline of a news story in JoinTogether. And yet, when it comes to vets dependent on opiates (whether illicit drugs or prescribed painkillers), the DoD not only erects barriers but has an absolute bar against provision of the "gold standard" of care, "maintenance" with methadone or buprenorphine. TRICARE, the insurance policy for vets and their dependents, simply denies coverage for such treatment, without qualification or explanation. The article notes that only 1/4 to 1/3 of vets choose to get medical care through the VA - the only option for most of the others is TRICARE, but not if they need and want medication-based treatment for opiate dependence. And yet, US taxpayers fund methadone programs around the world - e.g., in Vietnam. Go figure! Full story click here>

PARENTS INITIATIVE FOR TOLERANT DRUG POLICY (GERMANY):

An article in June 09 Die Strasse presents an interview with Juergen Heimchen, head of the organization for almost 16 years. The fundamental goal of the "Initiative" - which is both a self-help and advocacy group - is to do everything possible to allow drug users to survive. Heimchen describes the advances made in the last 2 decades; initially, methadone in Germany was only available to addicts who had a terminal illness! It is very largely the effort of parents of addicts that turned the tide in Germany; today an estimated 70,000 patients receive methadone maintenance.

TREND TO FOR - PROFIT ADDICTION TREATMENT

A study just published in J Subst Ab Treatm (vol 36, 355-365) found that in 2005, 34%of outpatient substance abuse treatment recipients obtained care in for-profit facilities compared to less than 10% ten years earlier. The bad news: not unexpectedly, for-profit services were more likely than others to refuse admission – and to terminate prematurely - based on inability to pay. The disparity was particularly great among methadone treatment programs. Of course, unequal access to care based on financial considerations is the norm in all areas of medicine in this, the wealthiest nation on earth.

HEROIN AND/OR COCAINE NOT GOOD IN PREGNANCY

This conclusion was reached by a Swiss laboratory study on placentas from mothers who received methadone treatment during pregnancy. Hardly surprising: risk of adverse consequences of heroin and cocaine obviously is not limited to the placenta, or to pregnant women, or to women or men who are not receiving methadone treatment. The study did not compare the harm of the illicit substances in placentas from women who did and who did not receive methadone treatment during pregnancy.

News summary available at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/em/-/2/hi/health/8092732.stm

COMPARED TO WHAT:

A commentary in the Albany (NY) Times Union on June 4 begins, "Rarely has there been a prouder moment in the history of our state Legislature than when Democrats and Republicans came together earlier this year to reform the Rockefeller Drug Laws, which over more than three decades wreaked havoc on thousands of people whose addictions should have been treated by health care professionals -- not by the criminal justice system." Seems to set a mighty low threshold for pride - and of course even this break through of common sense, fairness and community self-interest is currently stymied by political wrangling.

NY SEEKS TO IMPROVE ADDICTION STRATEGIES - DON'T HOLD YOUR BREATH:

A "collaborative council" was established by Executive Order on April 15, 2009, with the lofty goal of "identifying ways in which statutes, regulations, rules and policies may be revised in order to promote addiction prevention, treatment and recovery efforts" (click here ). The timetable hardly suggests a sense of urgency: an "interim report is due in 18 months, and a final report a year after that - by October 31, 2011! Also to be noted is the statement that "involvement of non-governmental stakeholders, including community based organizations and business entities, is essential to the development of strategies to address the devastating effects of addiction" - but membership on the council is limited to 20 State agency heads.

GOVERNMENT PRIORITIES IN SPENDING - AND IN CUTS

A CNN report June 5th, states that Michigan is closing 8 prisons - allowing 1000 employees to be fired and saving $120 million; three facilities were closed earlier this year. The State has assured voters that no inmate will be released early as a result - i.e., displaced prisoners will be squeezed into other facilities. Currently 22% of the State's general fund budget is allocated to the Corrections Department (the amounts for cops, prosecutors, courts etc are not given - nor is the proportion of inmates incarcerated on drug-related charges).

EXCHANGE WITH NEWS EDITOR – PRISON FOR METHADONE POSSESSION

From Nevada: The article prompting the exchange can be found by clicking here.

LTE: Re "Methadone tablet earns prison term" (June 2) - for someone dependent on heroin one methadone tablet can prevent withdrawal symptoms and craving - and multiple injections of heroin - for 24 hours. Strictly from the perspective of the community's self-interest, punishing this with a 2-1/2 year prison term seems just plain dumb. He should instead have been referred to a methadone maintenance clinic where his dependence could be treated.

EDITOR’S RESPONSE: I don't know about New York City, but there is a point here in Nevada at which someone who continually breaks the law deserves a time-out to think about it. Mr. Jenkins is lucky he only got 2 and a half years. While being in possession of a single methadone tablet might not seem like much, in fact it was something else he stole from someone else, who might have needed it. No matter what the charge, Mr. Jenkins went to prison because he is a thief. No one would have even known he had the tablet if he hadn't been shoplifting, again. I believe people can be rehabilitated, but I also believe that the worst thing that can happen to a person is a lack of consequences as a result of their actions. Thanks for writing, Kurt Hildebrand editor

US DRUG POLICY: ARE THE TIMES A'CHANGING?

From JoinTogetherDirect (www.jointogether.org) June 1 - Obama's First Drug Budget Fails to Shift Priorities The chairman of a House oversight committee last week chided the Obama administration for failing to live up to its rhetoric about ending the war on drugs and taking a new approach to preventing drug use, challenging the composition of President Obama's first drug budget during new drug czar Gil Kerlikowske's first appearance as director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP).