HOW GOVERNOR CAN HELP TEENS TO OVERCOME ADDICTIONS

Nearly 15 percent of high school students in California abuse drugs
or alcohol to an extent that they need treatment.

Yet the state provides funding to treat only about 8 percent of the
youth in need.

State Sen. Gilbert Cedillo, D-Los Angeles, has maneuvered a bill, SB
1288, onto Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's desk that would greatly
expand Medi-Cal benefits for adolescent alcohol and drug treatment.
The governor, knowing that many of the children who do not receive
treatment will wind up in juvenile detention centers or jails at
great taxpayer expense, should sign the bill.

Santa Clara County has a huge stake in the governor's decision. Some
12,000 children living in Santa Clara County are in need of treatment
for drug and alcohol problems. The county, facing a huge budget
deficit, is in the process of cutting nearly $11 million from its $46
million drug and alcohol services budget. If Schwarzenegger vetoes
the bill, the county won't be able to provide the funding to pick up
the slack. And the lack of funds for treatment also may threaten to
put the county's juvenile detention facility in danger of being out
of compliance with state law.

Poll after poll of parents with teenage children indicates that drug
and alcohol abuse problems are among their greatest fears. Where is
the outrage in Santa Clara County and California that 92 percent of
children needing treatment for drug and alcohol abuse are being neglected?

It's a fact that treatment works and is cost-effective. It's also
accepted that alcohol and drug abuse problems in adolescents lead to
a wide range of other problems, including drunken driving,
delinquency and teen pregnancy. Ultimately, state taxpayers will have
to pick up the considerable costs of neglecting the needs of these
vulnerable children.

Cedillo's bill is expected to cost the state in the neighborhood of
$20 million. Supporters fear that Schwarzenegger will veto the bill
because money for treatment was not included in the state budget. The
governor has made clear on more than one occasion that he wants to
leave a legacy of taking care of the needs of California's children.
Given that he has already approved an additional $25 million to
provide funds for treatment of adult drug offenders, it should be an
easy decision to sign Cedillo's bill to increase treatment for
children with drug and alcohol problems.