LINN DRUG COURT GRADUATES FIRST GROUP

Gary Smith is turning his life around after four years on methamphetamine.

"I'm going back to school, and I'm going to work part-time," said
Smith, 38. He used to rebuild engines, and he's hoping to get back
into that line of work.

Smith was one of the Linn County Drug Court's first three graduates
Monday. During a graduation ceremony, Judge Rick McCormick presented
all three graduates with a plaque and a commemorative coin.
Prosecutor DeAnn Ferrari handed them papers to show their charges
have been dismissed. Two of the graduates declined requests for
interviews, but Smith was happy to talk about his experience. He had
been charged with possession of a controlled substance after police
found an empty meth baggie in his car during a traffic stop.

"It was either a 10-day jail sentence and a year and a half of
probation, or do drug court," he said.

Smith said he "smoked a little marijuana and drank a little beer" in
high school, but he didn't get involved in meth until he was 34 and
going through some difficult times. It got worse as his addiction
went on: he lost his girlfriend, his job, his house and everything else.

"Over a year, I knew I was hooked," he said. "I thought I was doomed,
there was no way out."

Drug court is an intensive program in which an addict appears in
court once a week. He or she must attend regular counseling, submit
to random drug tests and get any issues cleared up with social
services, among other requirements.

The program has four phases, with the number of court appearances
decreasing with each phase. At the end, the addict graduates and the
criminal charges are dismissed.

If the addict relapses during the program, McCormick orders jail time.

During the graduation, McCormick said drug court is a departure from
a judge's traditional goal of being "firm but fair," because that
doesn't always get people to turn their lives around.

"I can tell you drug court is a lot of work," he said. "But this is
such a better result. It's really the right thing to do."

Linn County Commissioner Roger Nyquist agreed and acknowledged some
people need help getting clean. "We can't just keep doing things the
same way and expect different results any more than we can ask an
addict to," he said.

Smith said he's going to start taking classes this fall at
Linn-Benton Community College. He plans to look for work in the meantime.

"It gives you a sense of confidence," he said of drug court.

Currently, 15 people are in the drug court program, and a handful
more are expecting to graduate later this year.