OXFORD – Officials from a methadone clinic have suggested they might want to set up a drug treatment center in town, so selectmen are proposing an ordinance that will limit where it can be placed.

A special town meeting will be held Oct. 12 to vote on the issue.

Methadone clinics treat those recovering from addiction to heroin, morphine and other opioid drugs, according to the Office of National Drug Control Policy’s Web site. Patients are usually required to come to clinics to receive their doses.

The Oxford clinic would dispense methadone to about 100 people, said Scott Owens, chairman of the Board of Selectmen.

The town has not received a formal application from the clinic, Town Manager Michael Chammings said. By law, town officials can’t zone the clinic out, but they can limit where it can be placed.

Under the proposed ordinance, methadone clinics can’t be placed within 2,000 feet of a day-care center or school.

Oxford residents are concerned about the impact of drug addicts coming into town. Communities that have methadone clinics have higher theft rates, Owens said.

At Thursday’s selectmen’s meeting several expressed opposition.