Voices: Heroin Heroine

It was less than two weeks ago that Plains Township zoning officials unanimously denied an appeal of their decision to not allow a methadone clinic to open in the Parsons section of Wilkes-Barre.


Zoning officer Richard Piekutowski was confident in the board's decision. The reason for the denial has nothing to do with the protesting testimony presented by Parsons residents, he said, but everything to do with one simple technical detail - the Choices clinic proposed by the Wyoming Valley Health Care System was found not to fit the definition of a medical clinic.


The battle for and against the methadone clinic is being waged in Luzerne County, but the issue is nonetheless a regional one. The borough of Old Forge vehemently opposed a methadone clinic in the late 1990s and when Dickson City proactively zoned for one late last year per state mandate, Mayor Frank Wiercinski was reported to have said, "Hell would freeze over first before a methadone clinic opens in Dickson City." As a result of this anti-methadone mentality which treats addiction as a crime rather than a health issue, the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre area is the only region of the Commonwealth that has managed to refuse methadone treatment to its citizens.


It's not an issue on which people have been silent. Unfortunately, the loudest mouths, seem to be attached to people who haven't done their homework.


Yet numerous editorials in favor of methadone treatment have been published. Local television news reporters have found that neighborhoods elsewhere in the state where methadone is dispensed are not besieged by crime. Letters to editors from those who have seen methadone help their addicted loved ones have continuously appeared. But none of this has helped break the haze of the anti-methadone mentality gripping Northeast Pennsylvania. Clearly, it's an issue on which not enough can be said.



It is common knowledge that NEPA has seen an increase in heroin abuse in recent years but unless it's in your face or in your family, it's a reality that's too easy to ignore. We hear more about the victims of drug-related crime than we hear about the victims of addiction. Families of those who overdose traditionally like to underplay the reasons behind the death of their loved one. The silence is understandable. Drug addiction carries a shame and death comes with enough pain. No one wants such stigma souring the reputation of their dearly departed.


And that's not just a regional issue, it's a national one. Drug use is highly criminalized by our society and the example is set by those on top. Federal drug war spending on enforcement is considerably higher than that on treatment. The growth of the prison system in the U.S. is mind-boggling and the most common reason given for the expansion is increased penalties for drug-related crimes. It costs significantly more to incarcerate violators of drug laws than it does to provide drug treatment. Yet tax payers, it would seem, remain content footing the higher bill.


On what level does this make sense?


Alcoholism, most will concede, is a disease. But heroin use, proven to alter brain chemistry, is attributed to "degenerates" and categorized without sympathy. As long as we treat addiction as a bad choice and a crime rather than the medical condition, those in need of help (all those but the wealthiest and most resourceful that is) have no chance of receiving it. Crime will continue to rage and people will continue to suffer and die.


Many have come around to agree that their should be a clinic somewhere, but fear, supported by lack of information, continues to prevent anywhere from being identified. Because of a "curative amendment" adopted earlier this year, Plains Township has said it is obligated to provide an alternate location for the clinic and will do so within six months. Choices has stated that they will not give up on the Wyoming Valley and may again appeal the zoning board's decision. Let's hope they maintain this conviction. Where to place a methadone clinic may be a choice, but heroin addiction is not.

-- alicia grega-pikul, 19 June 2003