Regulate Big Rehab in Maryland

The addiction treatment industry is operating in a regulatory vacuum in Montgomery County and Maryland

Our Communities Are Already Being Impacted

Brookeville

A for-profit company from Florida is operating a residential large drug rehab facility which combines two adjacent mansions and one plot of land next to Greenwood Elementary School in a small Brookeville cul-de-sac. This type of large scale commercial operation was not intended by the zoning code for residential areas.

Derwood

Similarly, an addiction treatment provider has purchased 5 contiguous properties in a residential neighborhood in Derwood, which functions as a single 48-person drug rehabilitation center. The clustering of residential treatment services in residential neighborhoods recreate segregated and institutionalized environments that run directly against the intentions of the Fair Housing Act.

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Ineffective Zoning Regulations in Montgomery County

The County’s loose interpretation of the zoning ordinance allows investors to purchase unlimited adjacent single family homes to operate large addiction treatment campuses in residential areas. These are large scale commercial and institutional operations that are incompatible with residential zoning, and run contrary to the intention of the Fair Housing Act. Furthermore, the MoCo zoning code does not properly distinguish between the different treatment and housing functions provided by a wide spectrum of residential care facilities, which results in zoning determinations that are mismatched with patient needs at different stages of recovery.

Weak Regulation Puts Patients, Families, and Communities at Risk

These ineffective zoning rules occur in a broader context of dangerously weak regulation, enormous profit margins, and unethical practices in the substance abuse recovery industry. Many patients, families, and communities have already experienced irreparable harm due to the largely unregulated substance abuse recovery industry in Maryland.

Corporations Profit at the Cost of our Communities

A for-profit high-intensity addiction treatment facility for 16 patients could generate approximately $4,380,000 – $11,680,000 in revenue on an annual basis per their $750 – $2,000 cost per patient, per day of treatment (Beetham et al., 2021; Fox, 2019). Weak regulatory environments make it very easy and exceedingly profitable for operators to engage in unethical and predatory practices that put patients’ recovery and lives at risk. Furthermore, the county’s current stance on zoning serves to benefit large, for-profit corporations over individuals who are struggling to find affordable housing.

Beetham, T., Saloner, B., Gaye, M., Wakeman, S. E., Frank, R. G., & Barnett, M. L. (2021). Admission practices and cost of care for opioid use disorder at residential addiction treatment programs in the US. Health Affairs, 40(2), 317–325. https://doi.org/10.1377/hlthaff.2020.00378

Fox, P. (2019, May 31). McLean residents fight single-home drug rehab centers. WUSA9. https://www.wusa9.com/article/news/mclean-residents-fight-single-home-drug-rehab-centers/65-8a846b88-122e-402e-a4f9-b6b01536c22d

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How You Can Help

Other cities and states are taking action to better regulate the addiction recovery industry, but Montgomery County and Maryland are still lagging behind.

  • DONATE via GoFundMe. Funds will support legal counsel to challenge the permitting of clustered rehab facilities, as well as efforts to increase operational regulation and oversight of the addiction recovery industry, increase community awareness, and advocate for Zoning Text Amendments that better reflect the needs of patients in addiction recovery, while protecting the County’s zoning scheme.
  • CONTACT US to find out how you can help.
  • SHARE this information with your friends and neighbors!

Our Goals

  • Clearer zoning regulation that reflects the specific needs of patients at different stages of addiction recovery, while also protecting the integrity of the zoning scheme.
  • Stricter operational regulation and oversight that guarantees safe, effective, and evidence-based treatment alternatives for community members who struggle with addiction, while preventing the disruptions to patients and communities that are associated with profit-driven practices in the addiction treatment industry.

Learn about the legislative proposals to address these problems in California

Montgomery County Deserves Better

Common sense policies are already in place in other states to rein in corporations and protect patients and communities.

What is standing in our way?

Contact your local representatives to demand action.

Dawn Luedtke
Maryland Delegate, District 14

Will Jawando
Montgomery County Councilmember, At-Large

Marc Elrich
Montgomery County Executive

Craig Zucker
Maryland State Senator, District 14