PROP. 36 WOULD OFFER DRUG USERS TREATMENT

Opponents and supporters of Proposition 36 agree on one thing: The bonds of
addiction keep many drug users cycling in and out of prison.

They disagree on whether Prop. 36 will help break those bonds.

If a majority of voters support the measure, people convicted of nonviolent
drug possession would receive probation and drug treatment rather than
prison.

It would not apply to anyone convicted of manufacturing or selling drugs.

Supporters argue that Prop. 36 will work because it requires drug addicts to
get help, a change supporters say will be more effective than prison at
keeping drug users from new crimes.

They contend that without this major shift in policy, drug treatment
programs will never get the state funding and support needed to reach the
majority of drug offenders.

Opponents counter that Prop. 36 will essentially decriminalize most drugs
and allow addicts to indulge their habits without any real consequences.

That's because judges will be powerless to send addicts to prison for
failing to comply with treatment regimens, they say. In addition, the
measure will open the door to fraud and abuse because it does not define
what will constitute a legitimate treatment program, opponents contend.

The California legislative analyst estimates that up to 24,000 drug users
each year would be diverted from state prison under the measure, at a
savings of up to $150 million annually.

The fight over Prop. 36 has drawn high-profile advocates. Actor Martin Sheen
is the honorary chairman of Californians United Against Drug Abuse, a
committee that opposes Prop. 36.

New York billionaire George Soros, who helped fund the 1996 campaign to
legalize medical marijuana, has thrown his support and money behind the
measure.

Sheen and other opponents say that Prop. 36 is misguided and will reduce the
effectiveness of the state's drug courts, which allow some users to avoid
prison, so long as they follow court-monitored programs of random drug
testing and treatment.

Supporters counter that the state's drug courts are open to only a small
fraction of drug users. And, they say, there is nothing within Prop. 36 to
keep judges from imposing drug testing and other strict requirements as part
of a drug user's probation.

Proposition 36

Drugs. Probation and Treatment Program

WHAT IT WOULD DO: Require probation and drug treatment, not incarceration,
for people convicted of nonviolent drug possession. Set aside $60 million
for drug treatment beginning July 2001, and an additional $120 million
annually through 2006.

VOTES TO PASS: Majority

SUPPORTERS: California Society of Addiction Medicine, California Nurses
Association, California Association of Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Counselors,
Mental Health Association of California

OPPONENTS: California District Attorneys Association, California Association
of Drug Court Professionals, California Sexual Assault Investigators
Association