Neighbors are unhappy that 380 opiate addicts are now making daily stops for a dose of the controversial synthetic narcotic to curb their cravings for smack. We're not totally unsympathetic. The neighborhood association was never told that Delta was moving in. Given that neighbors must be notified before a bar opens up, it seems odd that the folks selling one of the most heavily regulated drugs in the nation can sneak in unannounced. If that were the extent of the group's complaints, we'd have no quarrel. But in press releases and interviews with WW, association members have made charges that just don't stand up. They imply that the clinic will lead to a rise in property crimes, loitering and parking problems. But in the five weeks the clinic has been open, the only incident they can point to is that someone waiting for a bus in front of the clinic "hooted" at a kid going into a convenience store. The group also says that Delta, which has another clinic in Tigard, is the "worst" methadone clinic in the area. Our reporting over the past six years has found just the opposite. Association members concede that they haven't researched Delta's track record in Tigard or the experience of other people who live near existing methadone clinics. "Right now there's just fear," says Jack Bogdanski, a member of the neighborhood association. "There are no facts." Fear may be enough to set up a picket line. But it doesn't help foster constructive debate. |
