cannabisnews.com: Year-Old Law Assists Many Drug Abusers





Year-Old Law Assists Many Drug Abusers
Posted by CN Staff on July 02, 2002 at 14:09:38 PT
By Anna Gorman, Times Staff Writer
Source: Los Angeles Times 
A California law designed to provide nonviolent drug offenders with treatment rather than putting them behind bars has expanded rehabilitation services and helped thousands of people, state officials said. But many of these defendants are severely addicted or have mental problems and cannot be adequately treated in regular rehabilitation programs, the officials also said. In addition, some officials fear that the current level of state funding will not be sufficient to continue providing intensive treatment. 
Enacted one year ago today, voter-approved Proposition 36 requires that those convicted of possession, use or transportation of drugs for personal use be offered treatment rather than jail sentences. After the first six months of the program, at least 12,000 defendants were in treatment, officials said. Statistics are not yet available for the full year. "We're very pleased that we have significant numbers of people that are in treatment," said Del Sayles-Owen, deputy director of the California Department of Alcohol and Drug Programs. An estimated one-third of the defendants referred for treatment, however, either failed to show up or dropped out during the first six months the law was in effect. Sayles-Owen said that some defendants do not succeed because they don't have transportation. Others lack motivation, judges and drug counselors said. "We are squandering a lot of resources on people who are not ready for treatment," said Judge Michael A. Tynan of Los Angeles County Superior Court. "It's distressing." In Los Angeles, about half of the 7,500 defendants referred for help were still in treatment by the end of May, Tynan said. Part of the problem, he said, is that sanctions are not strict enough, allowing defendants three chances to succeed before they face jail. Jim Stillwell, executive director of the IMPACT drug treatment center in Pasadena, said fewer people are no-shows now than in the first few months. "I'm not ready to give it an A or anything, but I think we're on the right track." Kern County has come up with a new way to deal with retention, deciding that an obvious solution would be to increase supervision. Unable to afford more probation officers, the county hired interns seeking certification as alcohol and drug counselors. A major challenge is the number of participants who suffer from depression or severe bipolar disorder. "We're not sophisticated psychiatric units," Stillwell said. "The average drug counselor is just not equipped educationally to handle somebody who might be suicidal." UCLA researchers have started a five-year evaluation of Proposition 36 and published an article this spring that identified several problems. In addition to the number of people not showing up for treatment, it cited a large number of high-need cases and insufficient future funding. Among many county officials who direct the programs under Proposition 36, money is the top concern. The state allocated $60 million for start-up costs and $120 million for the year just ending. Though proponents say no one has been denied treatment for lack of funds, county directors say they have had to spend more money than anticipated on residential treatment for severely addicted offenders. Though the original law did not set aside money for urine tests, new legislation has provided $8.4 million for that purpose. The funding shortage affects both large and small counties. Butte County, for example, projected that there would be 600 participants. Even though only about 350 people have been sentenced there under Proposition 36, the county has little room for expansion, said Bradford Luz, the county's alcohol and drug administrator. "We'll have to get more creative about how we're using resources," Luz said. Proposition 36 was designed to decrease the prison population, save taxpayer money and reduce addiction rates. In 12 months, the number of convicts in state prison has decreased by 3,272 to 158,089. "What we have seen is a dip in our inmate population as some parolees are referred for Proposition 36, as opposed to being re-incarcerated," said Russ Heimerich, spokesman for the California Department of Corrections. But he said the exact effects of Proposition 36 could not be quantified. The Drug Policy Alliance, which championed the law and is tracking its progress, has reported that the number of treatment programs jumped by 68% from 1,061 to 1,567 this year, and that there are 3,204 more residential beds. But alliance officials noted that some treatment programs do not adequately address cultural, language and gender needs. Santa Clara University School of Law professor Gerald Uelman said that, despite the concerns, early results show that Proposition 36 appears to be doing what it was designed to do. "We've gotten a lot more people into treatment, and I think we're going to save a ton of taxpayer money," Uelman said. "What concerns me is whether we are going to keep getting the funding we need." Treatment: Proposition 36 Helps Nonviolent Defendants, But Lack Of Money Is A Problem. News article courtesy of Mapinc.http://mapinc.org/newscc/v02/n1219/a09.htmlSource: Los Angeles Times (CA)Author: Anna Gorman, Times Staff WriterPublished: July 1, 2002Copyright: 2002 Los Angeles TimesContact: letters latimes.comWebsite: http://www.latimes.com/Related Articles & Web Site:California Campaign For New Drug Policyhttp://www.drugreform.org/Judge, DA Tangle Over Prop 36 Dealer Programs http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread13155.shtmlMarin Drug Court Feels Prop. 36 Competition http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread13149.shtml
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Comment #16 posted by Industrial Strength on July 04, 2002 at 22:22:22 PT
ah, the seventies
Wouldnt have a clue about the seventies. LoL.
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Comment #15 posted by FoM on July 04, 2002 at 21:57:21 PT
Industrial Strength
Maybe now a days if you can get hard drugs you can get cannabis but not back in the 70s. They started using drug sniffing dogs for cannabis but not hard drugs so hard drugs were much easier to come by then cannabis. If cannabis had been legal I know there would have been far less hard drug use back in those days because it was talked about frequently among friends. 
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Comment #14 posted by Industrial Strength on July 04, 2002 at 21:36:00 PT
I respectfully disagree...
If a person can get crack or H, then they can most likely get cannabis, I dont think legalizing it would severely alter the hard drug market. It's there already and these people want something more. I agree about not forcing people to get treatment, because I think you have to want to quit to quit. 
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Comment #13 posted by FoM on July 04, 2002 at 21:23:31 PT
hard drugs
I don't understand treatment for people who don't want treatment. If a person has cancer and they don't want to go through Chemo they don't have too. Why does a person who experiments with hard drugs ( not Cannabis ) not have the right to refuse treatment even if not getting treatment might shorten their life? I look at things in different ways then some I suppose. I did a few drugs back in the 70s and I never felt I needed treatment to quit doing them. I don't understand treatment initiatives. I've tried so hard to understand and it still doesn't make sense to me.PS: The most important laws to chance are concerning Cannabis and then many people will just use Cannabis and forget hard drugs in my opinion. Why don't people see this? 
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Comment #12 posted by ekim on July 04, 2002 at 21:04:55 PT
ya e thats what im talken about
we worked for two years to get three ozs and three plants here in MI. now the big money from CA. slides in and can pay to get on the ballot. we got allmost 300,000 with chump change. the CA. petition is calling for treatment I needno stinken treatment. why did the west coast not toast www.prayes.com just look at Nevada. i want to see the line from Vegas where are the odds posted i make it even money. mike
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Comment #11 posted by E_Johnson on July 04, 2002 at 10:03:05 PT
Drug rehab people DESERVE to be overwhelmed!
One angle to this story that will never, ever, be reported by the mainstream media is that these drug rehab people have spent a lot of money pumping up their industry by promoting the idea that all illegal drug use is drug addiction and needs addiction treatment.It's their own damned fault now that they are being saddled with certifiably ill people who absorb all their resources.It's these same drug treatment industry people who promote the idea that there is no casual drug use, so that casual users who are arrested end up taking up treatment beds that should go to people with serious proeblems."We'll have to get more creative about how we're using resources," Luz said.Well how about finally admitting that a hell of a lot of people who are forced trough your door do not need to be there at all and will not profit from being there.When someone is arrested with a gram of cocaine, the legal system doesn't try to do any triage to find out if that gram was destined to be shared by five people at a party Friday night or was destined to be an addict's morning blow.That lack of triage is wrong but it is the politically correct thing in the treatment industry not to care whether the gram was for six people or for one person alone.So maybe if there were some reasonable triage being done to see who needed the help and who actually does not need help -- they wouldn't need more money.Prop 36 had the flaw that it promoted the central fallacy of the Drug War -- that there is no casual drug use, all use constitutes addiction that needs treatment.I think everyone can imagine the budgetary crisis that would ensue if we treated alcohol in the same manner.
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Comment #10 posted by freedom fighter on July 02, 2002 at 22:31:24 PT
Good question Indy!
Would'nt the "System" be the major contribution to the "junkie" problem? Could'nt the "Prohibition" be the major cause of why so many became so addicted? I once knew a smack head who quitted by himself and he said that the worse Drug out in this world is tobaccos. I think he is somewhat right. In other word, I'm saying for those who are addictted to MONEY are far worse than those who are doing cracks and smacks and tobaccos. And if I have to have a crutch, I would pick the blessed herb.It's truly a shame to criminalize a victimless "crime" all in the name of "CHILDRUNNNNNN". For example, I read an article today in my newspaper, the Mayor of the city decided to show all Johns and the Whores on the T.V. two times a day 7 days a week in hope that they will shame those who committed terrible "deed". Mayor's exact words were, "I hope they will move to another friendly city." Small wonder why some would rather be a junkie than a cop on beat chasing whores and pot smokers.ff
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Comment #9 posted by Industrial Strength on July 02, 2002 at 19:54:28 PT
come on now
You cant compare a pot user despite the level of dependence they may or may not have on pot (and there are some people who really do use it as a crutch, like alot of things) to a crack or smack head. Usually there is some outside factor (besides the chemical) that turns people into down and out junkies.
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Comment #8 posted by dddd on July 02, 2002 at 19:42:05 PT
.."Treatment"...
...I would like to know what the "treatment" is for a Marijuana 'offender'???...Has anyone out there undergone the prop 36 "treatment",for pot?...dddd
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Comment #7 posted by freedom fighter on July 02, 2002 at 18:16:13 PT
Being arrested is very traumatic 
Not can be.. I can attest to that.. Especially for just a plant.After I got out of JAIL, I went home and first thing I wanted was a cigarette. I could'nt sleep at all that night. And when I finally fell alsleep, I had a gun under my pillow. Took me few days before I finally stop doing this. Talk about triggering mood disorders! I could'nt go to work the next day.Hey, I am normally stable human being who was minding my own business until the fools showed up with weapons pointing at everyone in my family. I have had never seen so many guns in my life until that night. I was very lucky that the "law" did not find my gun. I was very lucky that no one got hurt in process, getting shot by wired-up cops. Talk about addicts?? Worse form of addiction are the cops who are so high to bust the door down because you grew a plant or two.. These "people" are so unstable!Most importantly, no one can treat anyone by telling lies. For example, Men who smoke weed for many years will grow boobies. Women who smoke weed for many years will grow beards. One joint equals 60 cigarettes. Pot is the GATEWAY to harder drugssss. Your brain adds THC everytime you smoke and if you do smoke you want to smoke more and more. You know the drill. BULLLLLFUKINDUNGSHIT!For those who want to help others, JUST TELL THE TRUTH!ff
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Comment #6 posted by gloovins on July 02, 2002 at 15:36:01 PT
Damn,
all this chat when if we taxed regulated & legalized it --this would all be irrelevant, no?Just a thought. Hope Nevada legalizes herb, I think they might.
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Comment #5 posted by Industrial Strength on July 02, 2002 at 15:24:15 PT
yes...
there are alot of drug addicts who are not depressed, but there are alot of people who are in the drug treatment program that are not suicidal...I would agree that a brutal, LAPD signature snag could drive someone over the edge, but aren't people who are unstable at a higher risk of becoming drug addicts?
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Comment #4 posted by E_Johnson on July 02, 2002 at 15:14:57 PT
Well add it up
You dont think that more of them are in that state before drug addiction, that the drug addiction is just a side effect of their already skewed personality?A mood disorder like depression or bipolar is not really a skewed personality, personality disorders are a separate category of mental illness from mood disorders.There are depressed people who do not do drugs, and there are drug addicts who do not suffer from depression.So I don't think that drug addiction can be reduced to a side effect of a mood disorder or other mental illness. However, being arrested can be very traumatic and trauma causes its own disorder, and can trigger a mood disorder very eaily. Merely being arrested can cause depression and can make someone suicidal who does not already suffer from an existing mood disorder.Especially if they get arrested the way the LAPD likes to arrest people for drugs, like a paramilitary operation.And if they end up in a place where the counselors are all soulless PC Smarmbots like Dr.Drew who think they can politically correct someone into being healthy without actually caring about what the person they are caring for really wants.That's the long version of what I wrote below.
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Comment #3 posted by Industrial Strength on July 02, 2002 at 14:41:47 PT
you really think so?
You dont think that more of them are in that state before drug addiction, that the drug addiction is just a side effect of their already skewed personality?
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Comment #2 posted by E_Johnson on July 02, 2002 at 14:29:03 PT
One millimeter closer to the truth every day
A major challenge is the number of participants who suffer from depression or severe bipolar disorder. "We're not sophisticated psychiatric units," Stillwell said. "The average drug counselor is just not equipped educationally to handle somebody who might be suicidal."
Especially not someone made suicidal by being subjected to a venal and mendacious politically correct charade of concern when they had some kind of balance worked out in their precarious life before the police upset it all for them by arresting them.
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Comment #1 posted by JSM on July 02, 2002 at 14:19:07 PT
treatment
I feel it is a common fallacy to assume that most dependent drug users do not want to break their addiction. Given the opportunity and the resources undoubtably many could and would stop using.
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