PROP. 36 QUESTIONS MUST BE ANSWERED

Between now and the end of June, some $60 million in drug treatment
money promised by Proposition 36 is supposed to be dispensed. Over
the next 51/2 years, the state is required to spend another $660
million to treat and monitor addicts who will be diverted from jail
and prisons.

As evidenced by a workshop sponsored by the treatment advocates who
put Proposition 36 on the ballot, it's clear that those responsible
for implementing the new law are unclear about how to proceed. They
need leadership from the governor and Legislature.

The questions are basic. For example, which county agencies will
receive the treatment money from the state -- probation departments,
alcohol and drug program administrators, or county supervisors? What
formulas will be used to distribute funds?

The proposition requires the state to evaluate the measure's
effectiveness -- but what constitutes success? Is it the number of
addicts who successfully complete a drug program or the number of
addicts who test clean for drugs? Since the initiative explicitly
states that Proposition 36 funds cannot be used for testing, who pays
for that? Nobody knows.

But California must administer it. The task seems daunting, but no
one can afford to ignore this challenge and this opportunity.