News
Sports
ENLARGE
The demon that is methamphetamine continues to plague Northern California, according to a UCLA report looking at Prop. 36 drug program.
Of the 51,000 people referred in the program designed to steer drug users away from substance abuse, 71 percent or 36,000 entered treatment in fiscal year 2005-2006, the latest figures provided. Of them, 57 percent or 20,500 used the drug that has ravaged Northern California for decades.
Cocaine, alcohol, marijuana and heroin were the other major drugs used by people in the program statewide, with cocaine or crack used by 13 percent or almost 5,000 of them.
The program designed to rehabilitate offenders who use drugs shows a completion rate of 32 percent statewide, the report said.
Rural counties, including Nevada County, tend to have higher completion rates, because it is easier to hold the smaller groups accountable. Nevada County's completion rate is about twice the statewide average, said county District Attorney Cliff Newell.
Just less than half the clients in the program were white, or 44 percent; 36 percent Hispanic; and 14 percent were African-American, the report said. Their average age was almost 35, and half were entering their first substance abuse treatment program.
Previous research used for the report showed 55 to 69 percent of people in the program had a co-occurring mental health disorder, and many of them are homeless. Thirty-eight percent of the agencies handling the program in the state do not screen for mental disorders, however.
The UCLA researchers recommended the state fund the program more consistently than in past years to give programs and clients stability.
They also recommended blending Prop. 36 and Prop. 63 Mental Health Services Act monies in a "whatever it takes" approach to treat people who are homeless and mentally ill.
One option would be to fund special Integrated Dual Diagnosis Treatment centers set up to treat drug and mental disorders at the same time. Nevada County does not have such a center but does deal with clients who have both disorders.
The report also suggests funding drug treatment centers for heroine or opiate clients only, and to use drug testing to catch people who are not meeting the Prop. 36 requirements.
To help Prop. 36 clients find jobs, the UCLA study suggests setting up lists of employers who are willing to hire them; to provide socials events where clients and prospective employers can meet; and to provide training.
The report said more intense inpatient-type treatment should be used for some clients as opposed to the cheaper out-patient therapy, with meth users prioritized for the stronger treatment.
It also recommends using "flash incarceration" to get the attention of clients who don't follow the program's guidelines or get in trouble again.
Prop. 36 would be even more productive "if we were able to use flash incarceration," said Newell.
Judges, prosecutors and others have said a few days in the county jail for violating the terms of their probation would wake up some offenders. The law approved by voters in 2000 allows judges to jail offenders upon their third probation violation.
Though Prop. 36 has its proponents, it also has detractors who argue it gives repeat offenders too many chances. Proponents argue it is better to treat drug addicts and eliminate the crimes they commit than to send them to prison.
Hundreds of people have gone through the county's Prop. 36 court, and roughly 50 are enrolled now, Newell said.
To contact Senior Staff Writer Dave Moller, e-mail dmoller@theunion.com or call 477-4237.
The drugs of choice for the 49,000 people in Prop. 36 rehabilitation programs, according to a UCLA report on the program, are:
n Methamphetamine, 57 percent
n Crack or cocaine, 13 percent
n Marijuana, 13 percent
n Alcohol, 8 percent
n Heroin, 8 percent
Of the 51,000 people referred in the program designed to steer drug users away from substance abuse, 71 percent or 36,000 entered treatment in fiscal year 2005-2006, the latest figures provided. Of them, 57 percent or 20,500 used the drug that has ravaged Northern California for decades.
Cocaine, alcohol, marijuana and heroin were the other major drugs used by people in the program statewide, with cocaine or crack used by 13 percent or almost 5,000 of them.
The program designed to rehabilitate offenders who use drugs shows a completion rate of 32 percent statewide, the report said.
Rural counties, including Nevada County, tend to have higher completion rates, because it is easier to hold the smaller groups accountable. Nevada County's completion rate is about twice the statewide average, said county District Attorney Cliff Newell.
Just less than half the clients in the program were white, or 44 percent; 36 percent Hispanic; and 14 percent were African-American, the report said. Their average age was almost 35, and half were entering their first substance abuse treatment program.
Previous research used for the report showed 55 to 69 percent of people in the program had a co-occurring mental health disorder, and many of them are homeless. Thirty-eight percent of the agencies handling the program in the state do not screen for mental disorders, however.
The UCLA researchers recommended the state fund the program more consistently than in past years to give programs and clients stability.
They also recommended blending Prop. 36 and Prop. 63 Mental Health Services Act monies in a "whatever it takes" approach to treat people who are homeless and mentally ill.
One option would be to fund special Integrated Dual Diagnosis Treatment centers set up to treat drug and mental disorders at the same time. Nevada County does not have such a center but does deal with clients who have both disorders.
The report also suggests funding drug treatment centers for heroine or opiate clients only, and to use drug testing to catch people who are not meeting the Prop. 36 requirements.
To help Prop. 36 clients find jobs, the UCLA study suggests setting up lists of employers who are willing to hire them; to provide socials events where clients and prospective employers can meet; and to provide training.
The report said more intense inpatient-type treatment should be used for some clients as opposed to the cheaper out-patient therapy, with meth users prioritized for the stronger treatment.
It also recommends using "flash incarceration" to get the attention of clients who don't follow the program's guidelines or get in trouble again.
Prop. 36 would be even more productive "if we were able to use flash incarceration," said Newell.
Judges, prosecutors and others have said a few days in the county jail for violating the terms of their probation would wake up some offenders. The law approved by voters in 2000 allows judges to jail offenders upon their third probation violation.
Though Prop. 36 has its proponents, it also has detractors who argue it gives repeat offenders too many chances. Proponents argue it is better to treat drug addicts and eliminate the crimes they commit than to send them to prison.
Hundreds of people have gone through the county's Prop. 36 court, and roughly 50 are enrolled now, Newell said.
To contact Senior Staff Writer Dave Moller, e-mail dmoller@theunion.com or call 477-4237.
The drugs of choice for the 49,000 people in Prop. 36 rehabilitation programs, according to a UCLA report on the program, are:
n Methamphetamine, 57 percent
n Crack or cocaine, 13 percent
n Marijuana, 13 percent
n Alcohol, 8 percent
n Heroin, 8 percent
