Allan James said he and his friends were not dealing drugs and were in fact responsible citizens who went to the mall for their methadone from pharmacies on prescription.

Mr James is not a methadone user but said he was a friend to those facing the unimaginable struggle with heroin addiction.

“These people are as good as anyone else and any time that police have searched any of us they have not found a thing.”

“We don’t have a problem with the police.

“We know they are only acting on information and doing their job.

“We also respect businesses owners and we will keep out of the way of business by not ‘loitering’, even though we are doing nothing wrong.

“We are not interfering with people. We do not ask for money and we are not selling drugs.

“I hate drugs.

“These people are trying to get off drugs by using methadone, and we all meet together to help each other with our problems.”

At a Maitland Business Chamber forum last week, mall business owners told of their suspicions about drug dealers in the mall. Mr James said he and his group felt they were defamed by those suggestions.

He said that if society wanted users to stop abusing illegal drugs, then society needed to tolerate the presence of recovering addicts attending public places to follow their doctor’s orders.

Two pharmacies in central Maitland supply prescription methadone users with their daily dose of methadone syrup.

Maitland Hospital also supplies medicines, including Suboxone, Subutex and Buprenorphine, that are designed to wean addicts off opiates such as heroin.

Maitland Mayor Peter Blackmore said he was unconvinced that Maitland Hospital was not the best place for recovering addicts to get methadone and other prescription treatment.

“It is not the sort of environment that I think the general public would want to be associated with.

“I personally would like to see (drug dependence treatment such as methadone) available at the mental health unit at Maitland Hospital.

“I think legitimate cases are quite okay.

“What the community is worried about are illicit drugs, and if people are trying to overcome their problems are behaving in normal fashion then I don’t think people would blink an eye.

“I don’t say that I am overly sympathetic to heroin users, because I am not.

“I have every sympathy and every word of encouragement for those who are genuine in trying to beat a drug habit and I think the majority of (people in) Maitland would too.”

Maitland Business Chamber president Jennifer Nichols said a survey discussed at the forum aired community suspicions about many daily concerns, including some alcohol related.

“If our CBD provides particular services, then it is up to those who use these facilities to do so in a way that shows respect to others, much the same as patrons of late-night licensed premises must learn to not abuse the privilege of these venues.

“Our society is made up of different people from all walks of life and I believe, at the end of the day, we all need to show a little more respect for each other.”