YES ON 36

EDITOR: A yes vote on Proposition 36 means treatment instead of prison for
first and second time offenders charged with simple possession of drugs.
Violent criminals, dealers and those arrested for multiple offenses would
be excluded.

Opponents argue the initiative is poorly written. Not true. Proposition 36
was modeled after the highly successful initiative passed in Arizona in
1996. The Arizona Supreme Court reports the program worked well and Arizona
saved millions of dollars choosing treatment over jail. (Prison costs
taxpayers $25,000 per year, while treatment costs $5,000 per year.) The
report states that 71 percent of the illegal drug users were drug-free two
years after treatment.

Proposition 36 means substance abusers will get the help they need. It
expands services for nonviolent addicted persons by creating a statewide
diversion system in California. Presently, these programs only serve 2
percent to 5 percent of those who need treatment. Savings to taxpayers may
be $1.5 billion over five years. Let's treat drug offenders rather than
punishing and jailing them as criminals. By voting yes on 36, you can help
treat drug addicts, thereby saving lives and reducing crime, and save our
state hundreds of millions of dollars annually. Check the facts at
www.drugreform.org.

Kumari Sivadas, Sebastopol