DRUG SCOURGE HITTING IDAHO HARD

Ground-Breaking Program Seen As State's 'Ray Of Hope'

BOISE - When it comes to the effect of drugs on Idaho communities, Randy
Smith realizes the numbers don't tell the whole story.

But the story they do tell is striking - from 1997 to 2004 the number of
people sent to prison for drug crimes in Idaho has risen from 861 to 1,474.

That's just the beginning, said Smith, a Sixth District judge in Pocatello.

"About 90 percent of our caseload would evaporate if this problem wasn't
here," he said while identifying burglary, bad checks and rape as among the
various manifestations of drug abuse.

But amid the dark clouds brought on by increasing user levels of
methamphetamine, Smith's two-year-old drug court drew praise as a "ray of
hope" Monday during a legislative panel on substance abuse.

The program already has nearly 30 graduates and, as Smith announced Monday,
no returnees so far.

Other efforts to curb drug abuse statewide have not been as successful.

And when state administrators asked members of the Joint
Finance-Appropriations Committee to grant the spending authority for a $22
million federal grant targeted toward curbing drug abuse, legislators
didn't immediately reach for the rubber stamp.

"I'll try to take some of the frustration out of my voice," said Rep.
Margaret Henbest of Boise. "We are rear-funding our substance abuse problem."

Many administrators agreed.

"We do not have a continuum of care," said Tom Beauclair, director of the
Idaho Department of Correction. "We have a disjointed system that is
severely lacking in the communities."

The fact that Smith's ad hoc drug court has seemingly been more successful
than large-scale state and federal initiatives wasn't lost on legislators.

"We're spending tens of millions to curb this scourge," said Sen. Brent
Hill of Rexburg said to Ken Deibert, an administrator with the Division of
Family and Community Services. "I'd like a little bit of encouragement that
we're doing something here.

"We're losing the war, it appears."

Deibert said miscalculations in this year's budget led to three regions
having to put a hold on drug treatment admissions starting in December.

The federal grant money, he said, should prevent similar problems in the
future and will help create new treatment programs for minorities and those
in rural areas.

However, advising Deibert and other administrators there is a perception
among legislators that much of the new grant money will be used for
bureaucratic purposes, committee co-chair Sen. Dean Cameron of Rupert
requested a detailed budget explanation from various state departments.

A decision on the grant, which would give Idaho and 14 other states three
yearly increments of $7.5 million, is expected to be made in the upcoming
months.

For Smith's drug court, however, the feedback was overwhelmingly positive.

"I'm sure we could spend two hours just asking questions of Judge Smith,"
Cameron said.

Smith volunteers his own time for drug court in Pocatello, though he
pointed out the system wouldn't work without the partnership of the
Department of Corrections and the Department of Health and Welfare.

A similar mental health court has also been proposed and could be examined
by the Legislature.

"It's been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life," Smith said.

"This drug scourge spreading over our community is an all-consuming problem
and the No. 1 problem facing our courts."