'WEST WING' CREATOR OK'D FOR DRUG PROGRAM

LOS ANGELES - Aaron Sorkin, creator of the hit NBC series "The West Wing,"
agreed today to enter a court-supervised drug treatment program that spares
him a felony conviction and jail time for drug possession.

The Emmy award-winning producer, who in 1999 acknowledged being treated for
drug addiction, was arrested on April 15 at an airport in suburban Burbank
after security staff found what authorities said were hallucinogenic
mushrooms, rock cocaine and marijuana in a carry-on bag.

He pleaded not guilty last month to drug possession charges stemming from
the arrest. But to gain admission to the "Deferred Entry of Judgement"
program, Sorkin entered a guilty plea to two felony counts and a
misdemeanor during a court hearing in Burbank Superior Court.

No judgement against him will be entered and the case will be dismissed if
he successfully completes the court-supervised treatment program, which can
last up to two years, said Sandi Gibbons, a spokeswoman for the Los Angeles
County District Attorney's Office.

If he fails to adhere to the program, Sorkin is subject to three years and
eight months in prison plus a fine of up to $10,000, she said.

Particulars of the treatment will be worked out with Sorkin's probation
officer, but the program mainly involves drug counseling and testing,
Gibbons said. The producer is not required to live at a rehabilitation
facility.

While a statement from Sorkin's publicist said the program would last 18
months, Gibbons said the program was set by the judge to run 24 months but
could be shortened in the future.

"Needless to say, it is a relief to have a resolution regarding my legal
situation," Sorkin said in a statement. "I fully intend to proceed as
directed by the court and am eager to get back to work and focus on what's
important.

"In addition, I would like to thank my family, friends and colleagues for
the tremendous amount of support and encouragement they have provided
during this period," he said.

Sorkin, the creator and executive producer of the Emmy-winning White House
series "The West Wing," told the Los Angeles Times in a 1999 interview that
he had previously been treated for an addiction to freebase cocaine.

"I'm the same as any other addict. I'm only a phone call away from getting
loaded again," he was quoted as saying then.

Sorkin's feature credits include screenplays for the 1992 court-martial
drama "A Few Good Men," starring Tom Cruise, Jack Nicholson and Demi Moore,
and 1995' "The American President," starring Michael Douglas and Annette
Bening.