The medication-assisted treatment (MAT) advertisement in the Aug. 4 PDN sponsored by www.saveoursequim.org states, “Over 40 offices already provide MAT across the North Olympic Peninsula …”
There could be 40 providers of MAT across the North Olympic Peninsula, but the assertion of 40 “offices” is dubious.
For instance, one office may house several providers.
In addition, without substantiation, the advertisement predicts illegal activities that would result from the proposed Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe MAT facility.
Specifically: “Many will discontinue MAT and resume their opioid addiction with drug dealing, stealing and burglary.”
This corrosive attempt to torque citizen fear presents an inherent contradiction as the advertisement claims that MAT clinics across the north Olympic Peninsula “have excess capacity and are taking new patients.”
Even if this claim were true, it follows that the crafters of the advertisement are willing to tolerate their alleged drug dealing, stealing and burglary presumably conducted by any patients discontinuing MAT from existing clinics.
They red-flag alleged illegal activities, then turn and tolerate the same alleged illegal activities.
Disregard this misleading, fear-mongering and contradictory advertisement.
Finally, it is important to comprehend the fact-based benefits of MAT, e.g., eliminating a significant portion of violent crimes.
Search benefits of medication-assisted treatment or go to tinyurl.com/PDN-MAT-Benefits.
Eldon Baker,
Sequim