Feedback from our readers

Give them choices

I read the article on the politics of addiction [“Cover Story,” Jan. 30] that was devoted primarily to the controversy surrounding the use or lack of use of methadone in San Diego.

Heroin and similar drugs, collectively called “opioids,” are the second most extensively studied drugs after alcohol. Unlike alcohol or drugs like cocaine and methamphetamines, opioids selectively bind with specific neurons in the brain called the “opiate receptors” and cause both beneficial effects like pain relief and also addiction.

Thanks to this knowledge, we have three distinct medications to treat opioid addictions—more than any other addictive drug except alcohol. The first and the most extensively used medication, and also the most controversial, is methadone, which binds with the opiate receptors, causing complete activation, but not to the same extent as heroin, thus breaking the cycle of withdrawal and cravings. The second medication is buprenorphine, better known by the trade name Suboxone. Buprenorphine binds with the opiate receptors, causing only partial activation. The third is naltrexone, which binds with the opiate receptor and prevents any activation.

Buprenorphine can be prescribed by physicians who have received the required training. Naltrexone, being a non-narcotic, can be prescribed by any licensed physician.

Successful treatment demands giving patients’ choices. Not all patients are going to benefit from just one drug, be it methadone, buprenorphine or naltrexone. Most opioid patients are not aware that they have treatment choices, and the methadone clinics don’t offer patients any choices. They offer just one drug—methadone. It’s like a diabetes clinic offering patients insulin as the only treatment.

Advancement in the understanding of addictions has led to a quiet revolution. Addicting and potentially harmful drugs are being replaced by non-addicting and safer medication. Not too long ago, benzodiazepines like Librium and Valium were considered the “gold standard” for the treatment of alcoholism. We now have medications like acamprosate and naltrexone.

The “gold standard” is offering patients treatment choices.

Percy Menzies,
Assisted Recovery Centers of America,
St. Louis, Mo.

Open your heart, Ed

Edwin Decker, thanks for your column [“Sordid Tales”] about God in the Feb. 6 issue of CityBeat. It’s always unfortunate that one or two completely irrational (and un-biblical) voices of a church authority are taken to heart by the general public as “That’s what it must say in their Bible.”

The Word is from God, not man, so we must always go to the source material before we take some person’s words as truth.

God is not the God of death—Satan is. Heath Ledger was not killed by God; he did it to himself with drugs, I’m sure, with a lot of assistance from his inner demons.

I do not believe that God creates people as gay. With literally every single gay person I have ever had the chance to talk in depth with, there is always a deep-seated challenge, in one form or another, with one of their parents, or inevitably some form of past childhood abuse.

God loves everyone He created—even the murderers and rapists. He has tried and tried and continues to try to get their attention, to help get them straight—but some people just can’t break free of the stranglehold that Satan has upon them. God weeps for these people He loves so much. He knows that if they would only allow Him to be a part of their lives, surrender to Him, that they would be able to live such a full, blessed and joyous life.

God will never force himself, or his will, upon anyone. We are all given the choice, at many points in our lives, to invite Him to guide us through this very difficult world.

The next time He knocks on your heart and asks you to let Him in, at least give Him a chance to let you know what He’s thinking.

Matt Mitchell,
Serra Mesa

Don’t toss that TV

Dorian Hargrove’s “Life After CRTs” [“The Front Lines,” Feb. 20] repeated some incorrect information about the fate of analog TVs after Feb. 17, 2009. They will not immediately become e-waste—unless their owners are unable to resist the temptation to go “flat screen.”

Here are the facts: If you get your TV reception via cable or satellite, you need do nothing. The cable or satellite service will convert the signal for you. But if you use an indoor or roof-mounted antenna to get reception and have an analog set, you will need to get a converter box, not a new TV.

The government is currently issuing $40 coupons for you to use when purchasing a converter box, which is estimated to cost $70 and $90 before the discount.

The website to request the coupons is www.dtv2009.gov. The coupons must be used within 90 days of receipt, though, so don’t request one until you’re ready to buy the converter.  And prices may drop as retailers compete for business.

Susan Newell,
College Area

Misery makers

Carl Luna is right to ask “What can be done?” to help our neighbors in Tijuana [“Political Lunacy,” Feb. 6]. Here’s an idea: complete legalization of recreational drugs. The movement and sale of these drugs has enriched the cartels, corrupted politicians and brought misery to Tijuana and other border towns.

Making a wildly popular commodity illegal only drives it underground, where competition is resolved with bullets in the streets instead of in the marketplace. Our country went through this during Prohibition and we should know better.

Grant Loomis,
Hillcrest

Stoking the fire

I was listening to Roger Hedgecock bash Mexico again the other day. He was focusing on how dangerous it is for tourists and never once did he link the violence between the cartels there with the demand for illegal drugs here.
Not only is our neighbor’s house on fire [“Political Lunacy,” Feb. 6], but with our insane “war” on drugs, we’re pouring gasoline on the hot spots.

Anne Wayman,
National City