DRUG COURT COULD BE HERE BY MAY: AG BOWBRICK

Greater Vancouver should get another tool in its fight against drug
addiction come the spring, says Attorney General Graeme Bowbrick.

Earlier this week, the New Westminster MLA secured funding from
federal Justice Minister Anne McLellan to establish a drug court in
Vancouver. The money will at a minimum match what Toronto received in
1998 for its pilot project, $1.5 million over four years, Bowbrick
said. The Vancouver version should be up and running by May or June.

A drug court seeks to divert people convicted of drug-related crimes
away from prison and into treatment programs, the idea being that the
root cause of the criminal behaviour is drug addiction. Unlike
Toronto's program, which deals only with federal drug offences such
as drug dealing, Vancouver's drug court mandate will be expanded to
include crimes, such as break-and-enters and prostitution, used by
addicts to support their habit, Bowbrick said. "I've made it very
clear I want these people eligible for the B.C. [drug] court."

The Vancouver program will accept referrals from around the Lower
Mainland and be capable of handling 50 cases at a time, twice what
Toronto started out with. Bowbrick hopes that will rise to 200 people
at a time within four years.

The children and families ministry, which handles addiction issues,
will contribute funding to the program to ensure adequate treatment
services are available for those in the program, he said. "We didn't
want to establish a drug court and have it put even more strain on
services for addicts."

The total cost of the initiative, with the provincial government
covering "a little more than half," is estimated at $800,000 for the
first year, including treatment programs.

Once the program proves itself, Bowbrick hopes it will expand to
other communities, especially New Westminster as it has a high volume
of such cases.

While a full evaluation of the Toronto program won't be completed
until next year, "I think it's just common sense this will work."