Pubdate: Wed, 16 Apr 2003
Source: Times Leader (PA)
Copyright: 2003 The Times Leader
Contact:  http://www.leader.net/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/933
Author: David Thompson
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?136 (Methadone)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/rehab.htm (Treatment)

BEFORE YOU JUST SAY NO TO METHADONE, CONSIDER CHANGE AS A CONCEPT

Change is dirty word to plenty of folks in Northeastern Pennsylvania and
consequently this region continues the long march into decline. Heroin use
and its consequent dependency and lifestyle changes plunder the human
landscape as much as the coal and rail barons did to the countryside for
decades.

The arrogance and greed that the parasites of big industry and big business
imposed on the region directly affected the psyches of every family that had
to survive their abuse. Their legacies still prevent efforts knowledge and
enlightenment that might otherwise offer a way out of this self-perpetuating
misery. However, everybody resists. Residents of Northeastern Pennsylvania
have an enormous enthusiasm for alcohol and drug use that can be directly
linked with the decades of abuse foisted on them by crooked politicians and
the industries that they were beholden to.

The consequences for the region at large have resulted in the fact that it
has made the population malleable. The actions of politicians and
industrialists fostered an environment where the reactions by the populace
were one of alcohol and drug use and abuse. Today, that kind of
self-destructive behavior is an acceptable lifestyle.

It is a way of life where everybody is willing to make excuses for the guy
who drinks too much; or, the fact that somebody's who's been divorced three
times may actually be more of an issue than just being a little
disconcerting to family and friends. A person who beats his kids and
consequently, his kids beat somebody else, may, indeed be evidence that
something else may be needed rather than a jail sentence, but alas, the
community shrugs and maybe wishes the problem would just go away.

The notion that by changing ones thinking about something that could also
result in the changing of ones behavior is a radical idea in our
neighborhoods. More importantly, there is the myth of hopelessness, that it
will not do any good to change, that grips the populace. The idea of having
no ability to change anything is also a debilitating myth. The notion that
one is powerless is preposterous, yet people embrace it with the least bit
of rational thought in accepting it as fact.

Entrenched and self-serving interests, both in the political and medical
fields have enough influence in this community that they are able to
continue to befuddle the population enough in order to discourage any notion
that change, might in fact, bring hope and progress, especially where drug
and alcohol treatment programs are concerned. There is an implicit and
unspoken conspiracy in our region by some politicians, some law-enforcement
personnel and medical treatment providers to misinform or otherwise negate
the efficacy of other drug and alcohol treatment programs that utilize real
scientific research and treatment program development, and consequently,
prevent them from operating in any of our neighborhoods.

The epidemic of heroin use, abuse and the terrible human suffering that it
causes in our communities in every jurisdiction, is not unconnected to the
junkyards and landfills that permeate the hillsides.

The region today looks and behaves like a dead man walking ... shuffling,
head down and spirit broken with the same parasitic temperament controlling
its political and economic destiny that helped create the climate so long
ago. Ignorance and a lack of progressive ideas is not something we should
tolerate, much less be proud of. In the case of the methadone clinic at
least, rational thinking and perseverance will prevail.

The law that states that 'communities or municipalities can not zone out or
otherwise discriminate against persons with disabilities' is a federal law
under the Americans with Disabilities Act.

There is enough case law from across the nation, from every state in the
country preventing this kind of discrimination. Mayor Tom McGroarty of
Wilkes-Barre and like-minded folks might want to consider the economic costs
involved in fighting this battle in court before they choose to pursue a
losing proposition.

The mayor stated recently that he might proffer 'clever tactics', in order
to stop the methadone clinic. Clever tactics may win over some folks in
Lackawanna or Luzerne county court proceedings, but in a Federal Court,
ignorance is not an excuse. It will be expensive and they will lose, but
you, the taxpayer will pay for it.

Why not consider a few other things before anybody goes off half cocked,
proclaiming their inherent lack of knowledge and ineptitude by resisting a
change in attitude and in progress. It would be far better for the community
to understand first the scientific facts about drug use, abuse and
treatment. It will also be extremely useful to dismiss the wives tales, the
prejudices and the idiotic reliance on the magical notion of just saying no,
that have been offered as cures thus far. Gaining a full understanding of
the problem and its solutions will ultimately benefit everyone.

Most of all, by getting behind the progressive idea which incorporates
scientific principles in treating people with drug problems, it may just
foster the new renaissance that this community has been literally dying to
initiate for decades.

David Thompson

Shavertown
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