21 GRADUATE DRUG PROGRAM

An array of public officials on Wednesday saluted the 21 newest
graduates of the 2nd Judicial District's adult drug court program for
their personal courage.

And some saw the program, now in its fifth year in Bernalillo County,
as a ray of hope in an otherwise dark struggle over illegal drugs.

Wednesday's 21 graduates bring the total who have completed the
roughly nine-month mix of treatment and strict supervision to 304.

Of those 304, 27 have "had the bad judgment ... to get in trouble with
the law" again, said state District Judge Richard Knowles, who has
been with the program since it started as a pilot project in 1995.

That recidivism rate of "less than 10 percent" compares favorably with
the 40 percent of prison inmates nationwide who commit new offenses,
Knowles noted.

State District Judge Albert S. "Pat" Murdoch, who shares drug court
duties with Knowles, told graduates Wednesday they had "taken a walk
through hell to get here today."

Their completion of the rigorous program -- which includes counseling,
close monitoring and escalating sanctions for drug use -- is "a tribute
to the human spirit," said Murdoch.

"You've faced your demons and won, and you're not going to be involved
in crime anymore. What an incredible accomplishment," Chief Deputy
District Attorney Pete Dinelli told graduates Wednesday.

Department of Public Safety Secretary Nick Bakas, who said he was to
meet with other officials later in the day on the escalating drug
crisis in Northern New Mexico, also congratulated graduates, saying,
"It's nice to see a success story."

Bakas read a proclamation from Gov. Gary Johnson proclaiming May "Drug
Court Month" throughout New Mexico and noting the rapid growth of drug
courts throughout the state.

Twelve drug courts now operate in New Mexico, and four more are
planned. There were two in 1995.

Albuquerque Deputy Police Chief Chris Padilla presented a similar
proclamation from Mayor Jim Baca, declaring "Drug Court Month" in the
city.

"You graduates should be commended," said Padilla.

District Public Defender Ralph Odenwald told graduates that in his 20
years as an attorney he has seen the war on drugs escalate, spending
on drugs skyrocket, some Latin American countries "virtually
destroyed" by drug trafficking and "our prisons filled to
overflowing."

The campaign hasn't been "particularly successful" despite spending
billions of dollars, "but this has been a successful program," said
Odenwald.