OPINION

Is there help for those in need of it?

In response to the article, «Addicts deal in methadone» (October 18). History and common sense teach us that black markets, whether in penicillin, silk stockings or methadone, are driven by demand rather than supply. When methadone is purchased illegally, it is overwhelmingly by heroin addicts for the purpose of self-medication, and not by people who seek it to get high. So the question is: What is being done to ensure legal, clinically effective methadone to all in Athens who need it? For sure, making it even more difficult to get access to care within the city will only fuel the demand. ROBERT NEWMAN MD, Director, Baron Edmond de Rothschild Chemical Dependency Institute of Beth Israel Medical Center, New York City.

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