Drug, alcohol treatment programs need funding

Last November, voters passed Proposition 36 by a 61 percent margin statewide. They overwhelmingly supported treatment rather than incarceration for drug possession offenders. In the May revision of the state budget, the governor proposed to cut existing substance abuse treatment services for both youth and adults. The justification for this action is that the new Proposition 36 funds are available to pay for treatment, but this argument ignores the fact that the language of the proposition explicitly declares that its funds must supplement, not supplant, existing services.

The cuts in youth treatment services seem particularly inappropriate. The state Department of Alcohol and Drug Programs fund less than seven percent of their budget on youth. The modest award we received for youth this fiscal year was a first time award, and recently allocated to support youth programming in San Mateo County. The funds would be removed within the first year provided, leaving a woefully underfunded youth substance abuse treatment system.

Reductions in alcohol and drug abuse treatment will cost law enforcement. Substance abuse treatment costs one-fifth of jail time. The proposed budget cuts drug court in half. This cut is proposed despite overwhelming evidence of the effectiveness of drug courts. San Mateo County was just provided with an increased treatment award for drug court, only to now face a cut.

Proposition 36 funds were provided to treat specific individuals starting July 1, 2001 and cannot backfill. The complications of Proposition 36 implementation will be made worse by these cuts in other services.

Most budget cuts in the May revision are reductions in original budget augmentations or use of reserves. The cuts in the area of alcohol and drug services are real and deep and very disproportionate. In the last three years, San Mateo County has significantly reduced the waiting list, waiting time and increased substance abuse treatment capacity to provide substance abuse treatment. The effective drug court program is keeping substance abusers out of jail and helping them return as a productive member of society.

We urge that the state Department of Alcohol Programs budget items to be funded at the January level. The cuts would harm adult services, drug court and youth treatment in San Mateo County. The cuts are unwise and should be rejected.

Mike Nevin

President, San Mateo County Board of Supervisors<