East Pierce County has no methadone clinics. Where in Puyallup should one open?
Methadone clinics cannot open in specific areas of Puyallup until the City Council decides where they should be allowed.
The Puyallup City Council unanimously passed a 180-day moratorium Dec. 5 during a council meeting to pause the creation of methadone and opiate substitution treatment clinics in zones other than the medical zone.
City Attorney Joe Beck told The News Tribune that about six weeks ago the city found a “potential loophole” in the city’s zoning laws that could thwart a decision that council members made in 2016 regarding drug treatment clinics.
“It gives the city a period to review the situation and decide whether the law needs to be maintained or changed,” Beck said.
The city will hold a public hearing sometime in the next 60 days, Beck said.
In 2016 the city adopted an ordinance that limited the drug treatment clinics to the medical (MED) zone. The MED zone is in the center of Puyallup where Good Samaritan Hospital is, according to the city’s zoning map.
A couple of years later the city adopted the Urban Center Mixed Use (UCX) zone, which is a broader zone that allows any sort of development that is not specifically prohibited. Most of the UCX zones can be found along South Meridian starting at 31st Avenue Southeast, according to the zoning map.`
City spokesperson Eric Johnson said if a company wanted to establish a methadone clinic in a UCX zone they could have, before the new moratorium, but that runs counter to what the council members decided in 2016.
The city does not have any methadone clinics to date.
When asked if a provider recently inquired about establishing a methadone clinic, Beck said the city did not receive an application, but that they had received an inquiry about what is allowed in the city.
Pierce County has five opioid treatment program sites, according to the state Health Care Authority. Two are in Lakewood and the rest are in Tacoma. King County has seven sites and Thurston County has one. There are none in East Pierce County.
Opioid treatment program sites are behavioral health treatment agencies that offer counseling and medical services. Patients can receive medications such as methadone, buprenorphine and naltrexone. Methadone can treat moderate to severe pain and narcotic drug addiction. Buprenorphine can treat pain and addiction to narcotic pain relievers. Naltrexone can help prevent relapses of alcohol or drug abuse.
Those who need assistance can reach the Washington Recovery Help Line at 866-789-1511.
This story was originally published December 24, 2023 at 5:15 AM.
