FRESNO COUNTY GIVEN A 'C' ON PROP. 36 DRUG BLUEPRINT

A drug-policy foundation gave Fresno County a "C" grade for its plan to
implement Proposition 36, the measure that requires treatment instead of
prison time for many drug offenders.

The Lindesmith Center in Sacramento marked the county down for budgeting
too little state money for treatment, involving criminal-justice
professionals too much in oversight and not seeking enough community
participation, especially from drug users, in drafting the plan.

"We wanted Proposition 36 not only to pass but we wanted it to work, and
we're dedicated to making it work," said Whitney A. Taylor, a director with
the center who also worked on the campaign last year.

The center, an advocate of Prop. 36, praised the county for a "good range"
of treatment programs, including mental-health and pregnancy drug programs.

Susan Thompson, a county administrative support officer who has spearheaded
the effort to implement the new law, said she thought the center
misunderstood the county's written plan.

For instance, the county was marked down for not expanding its methadone
program to get addicts off heroin. Thompson, however, said the current
methadone program has more than 800 openings.

"Some of those things could have been cleared up with a call," Thompson
said. "Either way, I'm still confident that we're on the right track."

Passed by voters in November, Prop. 36, which will send many first- and
second-time drug offenders to community treatment programs instead of
prison or jail, takes effect next week.

A county team made up of a broad group of agencies, from the District
Attorney's Office to the Human Services Department to the Public Defender's
Office, has been working on how to implement the new law.

The team has estimated that 800 to 1,000 people a year in Fresno County
will be affected by the proposition.

The Lindesmith Center and other Prop. 36 advocates ranked the 11 most
populous counties in the state and made the grades public Wednesday.

The center based the grades on plans submitted to the State Department of
Alcohol and Drug Programs. Fresno ranked in the middle.

Taylor said Fresno County is budgeting only 75% of its state-allocated
money to treatment. The center pegged 83% as a reasonable figure for
treatment costs.

The center marked Fresno County down for not holding a forum where drug
users -- or clients -- are asked about the new law.

"If you're going to provide treatment services, some of the best people to
talk to are people who have gone through it," Taylor said.

She said Fresno County has a good health-care system in place, but it needs
to "start thinking in the public-health mindset and get away from the
criminal-justice mindset."

Thompson said the true report card will come months from now.

"I think it's going to be a matter of implementing it here and seeing what
happens," Thompson said.