MIDDLESBORO - When Dr. Ronald Dubin heard that a Methadone clinic was planning to open in the city, he was outraged.

"Under no circumstances do I want to see a Methadone clinic operating in Middlesboro or anywhere else in Bell County," he said. "I'm not refuting the fact that methadone treatment can work for some people, but I'm very concerned about what this could mean for the security and safety of the people of Middlesboro."

He is not alone in his feelings. Over the past two weeks hundreds of letters have been sent to the state narcotics authority asking that Drug Rehabilitation Services is not granted a license to open to distribute Methadone in Middlesboro.

All members of the medical staff of Middlesboro Appalachian Regional Hospital present at their meeting signed a similar letter. The doctors unanimously voted to vigorously oppose a license for the facility.

"We are against this, mainly because of the way it's being set up and the way this clinic is being supervised," said Dr. John Williamson. "This is a tremendous amount of earning potential here for the doctors supposedly supervising this, neither of which are from this community, nor who will be on site. What you've got here is essentially legalized drug dealing."

Dr. Dubin has organized a group called MAD (Middlesboro Against Drugs) to fight to keep the clinic from opening. The group will be having a public meeting next Thursday at 6 p.m. at the Central Arts Auditorium. Mac Bell of the Division of Mental Health and Substance Abuse will be present to hear concerns from the community.

There are many common concerns that have been voiced in connection to the clinic . There are fears that it will attract more drug users to the city along with dealers eager to offer illegal drugs to the recovering addicts. The fact that their clinic is only one block from St. Julian's Catholic School and three blocks from East End Intermediate are also concerns.

"People have to be aware that people from hundreds of miles away will be driving into Middlesboro every day to get Methadone," Dubin said. "This clinic will be licensed to see 600 patients a day."

The clinic has been approved by three federal agencies and is awaiting state approval.

Bell is responsible for the state approval. He said the letters he has received will have some influence on his decision.

"It will make me look harder at what the concerns are," he said. "Especially how close the location is to a school or daycare center."

One problem opponents may face involves a case from northern Kentucky, the city of Covington told a Methadone clinic they couldn't open there. A lawsuit was filed and the city lost and had to pay $144,000 in damages.

"There's not a whole lot we can do, it is a vital program," Bell said. "But, I'm definitely concerned about public safety."

The Middlesboro Downtown Association talked about the the clinic at meetings this week. Association president Pat Stanley said Thursday that she and the Downtown Association would like to be more informed before taking sides on the matter.

"I don't know how others feel about it but a drug, is a drug, is a drug," said City councilman Randy Ball at that meeting . "I know this is suppose to get them off drugs but they are still high."

He encouraged the community to attend the City Council meeting Tuesday at 7 p.m. Representatives from the clinic will be speaking to the council and others in attendance will have the chance to voice their concerns to the council.

"I'm also very concerned that they tried to open this clinic secretly," Dubin said. "They did not seek any community input, they never listened to any concerns that citizens have about this. The state recommends a community buy-in or acceptance, but that was never offered here."

He pointed out that recently methadone clinics tried to open in Harlan, Ky., and in Dryden, Va., but were rejected by the community. Those communities were not sued.

"They don't have a license yet. Now is the time we can stop them if the community is heard."

Cathy Woolum of UNITE Bell County recently met with the owner of the clinic.

"I'm still in the seeking knowledge stage," she said. "The jury's still out. There's a lot of fear of the unknowns that come with having a Methadone clinic in the community and once it's here, it will be here for the long term."