JUDGE HALTS CHANGE TO PROP. 36 DRUG TREATMENT LAW

The Law, Signed By Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger On
Wednesday, Would Have Allowed Jail Time For Some
Non-Violent Drug Offenders.

SACRAMENTO -- Alameda County Superior Court Judge Winifred Smith
issued a temporary restraining order today to stop enforcement of an
amendment to Proposition 36.

Prop. 36, approved in 2000 with 61 percent of the vote in Orange
County and statewide, mandated treatment and probation instead of jail
time for nonviolent drug offenders. As part of the budget package, the
Legislature passed a bill that would amend the proposition to allow
judges to issue short term jail sentences to offenders who use or
possess drugs again.

The original sponsors of Prop. 36, the Drug Policy Alliance, filed a
suit to stop the law on Wednesday. The restraining order is in effect
until a hearing regarding a preliminary injunction is held on July
28.

The law, signed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Wednesday, would have
gone into effect today.

"The Governor stands by the important reforms he enacted to enhance
public safety," Schwarzenegger Legal Affairs Secretary Andrea Lynn
Hoch said in a statement released this evening.

"The Governor believes in the success of the program. His budget
reauthorized $145 million in funding for this program and he signed
bipartisan legislation to increase accountability. He will defend the
legislation to ensure more non-violent drug offenders complete
treatment and remain drug-free."