ARM-ME BLOG

Methadone ordinance would limit new, existing clinics.

I wish I hadn’t missed this article now..I would have gladly commented.

I understand  Bangor’s desire (sort of) to have clinics locate outside of their town now that they have four.  Although, something tells me they wouldn’t be as worried if this were a cancer care clinic or pharmacy…..but there does come a point when there are enough clinics and patients have plenty of choices of which clinic to go to.  At that point it only seems reasonable to look to counties and towns that don’t have the same access for clinics.  The truth is, I was really upset when I found out there was another clinic proposed in Bangor.  But I was upset because there are still so many folks (myself included) traveling long distances for good treatment or ANY treatment.

If Bangor city council was really just concerned for patients and wanting other communities to “step up to the plate” why aren’t these board members out voicing their opinions at the hearings where other towns created morituriums?  Why aren’t they there testifying to the success of Bangor clinics and how much it would help for other communities to “take care of their own”?  Why aren’t they spending all the time that it’s taking to have meeting after meeting, discussion after discussion, draft after draft of regulations–why aren’t they spending that time doing something that would really count?

It seems to me that Bangor city council is trying to be policitically correct, but what it really gets down to is simple: they don’t want the clinic there, because despite the fact that the clinics in Bangor have proven to be a success and good neighbors people still can’t get past the idea of a methadone clinic being in their neighborhood.The city council members pushing these regulation are ignoring all common sense, rationality, logic and (most importantly) fact.

Prejudice is strange that way…