DRUG-REHAB GRAD NOELLE BUSH: IT WAS 'QUITE A CHALLENGE'

Today, Noelle Bush can start thinking about her future instead of her next
drug test.

After 16 months, the governor's 26-year-old daughter Friday graduated from
the drug-court program that kept her from a possible prison sentence.

While Gov. Jeb Bush and wife Columba looked on, Noelle hugged Orange Circuit
Judge Reginald Whitehead after he congratulated her on making it through the
stringent drug-rehabilitation program.

"It's been quite a challenge, and I'm really grateful," she told the judge.
"It's really been an honor to know you. And thanks to my family and to the
staff and everything."

Dressed in a polka-dot top and wearing hair extensions, a clear-eyed Bush
spoke in confident tones to the judge. It was a far cry from her jail
booking mug or early days in court when she stared into space and talked in
a near whisper.

Moments after the 2 p.m. graduation, the first family quickly left the
courthouse without comment.

President George W. Bush's niece was transferred into the drug-court program
in Orlando after her January 2002 arrest in Tallahassee. Police said she
tried to pass a fake prescription for the antianxiety drug Xanax.

Gov. Bush did not make any comments Friday but released a statement saying,
"Columba and I are pleased that our daughter Noelle has completed this step
and grateful for the treatment she's received. She has worked hard to get
here. We are proud of her efforts and love her very much."

The governor also said, "Our family appreciates the prayers and support we
have received throughout this difficult time and offer our own to others who
share in this."

Tinker Cooper, an Orlando friend of the Bush family's and founder of
Families Against Drugs, said she was thrilled Noelle had graduated.

"I think it's awesome," she said. "It's hard to make it that long. I know it
took a terrible toll on their family."

Just what Noelle Bush, who has battled addiction for nearly a decade, will
do next is not clear. The governor was scheduled to return to Tallahassee
today for an annual barbecue at the Governor's Mansion.

Noelle Bush's case not only brought attention to her drug-abuse problems but
also shined a light on Orange County's 3-year-old drug- court program,
fueling public debate about rehabilitation and privacy rights.

Along the way, she relapsed and served time twice in the Orange County Jail.

Relapses are expected during recovery, experts say. Still, Bush gained
international attention in July 2002 when Whitehead sent her to jail for two
days after workers at the Center for Drug-Free Living found her with
unauthorized prescription drugs.

Bush's second trip to jail for 10 days last fall followed a police report
accusing her of having crack cocaine in her shoe at the Mercy Drive women's
residential center. Police and prosecutors wanted to pursue the case, but
center workers refused to cooperate. Circuit and district courts upheld the
workers' rights, saying federal laws protect the privacy of center clients.

Christina Van Fosson, 26, who said she cut Noelle Bush's hair while the two
were going through drug rehabilitation at the center, said she was glad to
hear about Bush's graduation.

"She was wanting to go to art school," Van Fosson said. "I hope it works out
for her."

Bush's graduation also means she will not face any charges from the January
2002 arrest. That is the incentive that keeps most people in the program,
court officials said.

"That's the big carrot on the stick," said court administrator Matt
Benefiel, who also credited Whitehead. The judge often counseled Bush during
her biweekly court sessions to be selfish and focus on her recovery.

"It's a balance of his compassion and wisdom," Benefiel said about
Whitehead.

Gov. Bush and his wife wept publicly on more than one occasion when talking
about their daughter's struggle. But most of the time, such as in Friday's
courtroom, the first couple have kept their daughter's recovery a private
family matter.

Susan Rook, a former CNN anchor who battled drug addiction, said recovery is
different for people in the spotlight.

"It takes a lot to stay in recovery," Rook said. "One of the things that I
had to deal with was people coming up and saying, 'It can't happen to you.
You're famous.' "

Bush family friend Cooper, whose son Joe Stephens, 26, died from a heroin
overdose in 1996, said addiction is also difficult for an addict's friends
and family and that it is even more difficult when the family is well-known.

"The parents go through such guilt," Cooper said. "What did I do? What did I
not do? There's no magic formula."

Orange County may not have a magic formula, but its drug court boasts a 76
percent successful completion rate for those who finish. Currently, there
are 213 people in the program. As of June 30, 325 had graduated. Typically,
it took them a year.

Drug court is offered to first-time, nonviolent offenders. If Bush would
have been convicted of last year's drug charge, she could have faced a
maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $5,000 fine.

Though the governor asked for privacy as his daughter rejoins the family,
Noelle Bush's actions will likely be scrutinized.

Judge Whitehead left her with this last bit of advice:

"The one thing you should remember is that everything you've learned in this
program is important," Whitehead said. "Keep it in your mind, in your heart,
and it will make you successful."