Pubdate: Sat, 29 Mar 2008
Source: Daily Record, The (Ellensburg, WA)
Copyright: 2008 The Daily Record
Contact:  http://www.kvnews.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2617
Author: Chance Edman
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/pot.htm (Marijuana)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?159 (Drug Courts)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/meth.htm (Methamphetamine)

THE LAW vs. DRUGS

"I'm sorry I'm late, I totally forgot about this  meeting," said a man
in his 20s, out of breath from  running up two flights of stair at the
county  courthouse.

"It's going to cost you," Superior Court Judge Michael  Cooper
said.

Cooper didn't sentence the man to jail or heavily fine
him.

Instead, he issued work crew and public service. Here  in drug court,
Cooper and a panel of law enforcement  and treatment experts guide
felony drug offenders to  recovery, not jail.

"Drug court is not just about beating drugs, it's about  accepting
responsibility," Cooper told the man.

Drug court's rules are straightforward: Stay sober,  complete drug
court and your charges are dropped. The  effects are profound.

"Along the way, the principles of drug court take over  and they
realize they're changing their lives," Cooper  said before Tuesday's
meeting.

It's part of law enforcement's inside-out approach to  addressing
Kittitas County's drug problem.

"I've been using drugs for a while," said new drug  court member Tom
Lockhart. "It's time for me to stop  and enter the real world and
become a productive member  of society."

Participants in drug court change their demeanor when  they realize
Cooper, county prosecutor Paul Sander and  police officers are rooting
for them to quit using  drugs and start a new life.

"These are the people they've perceived as their  enemies and here
they are encouraging, supporting and  uplifting them. It's very
rewarding," said Pam  Stoneburg, program administrator for Cascade
Recovery  Resource Center.

Since drug court started five years ago, 27 people have  graduated,
which means they stayed sober for 16 months  and followed stringent
rules of behavior. Of those, two  have re-offended.

Drug court was formed in 2003 to address the county's  meth problem.
Now, drug experts and police officers say  meth is no longer the
primary drug of choice in the  area.

"There's not a lot of meth anymore," said Ellensburg  Police Capt.
Ross Green. "It's not as prevalent and  we're going to take that as a
good sign."

Meth numbers have "dropped precipitously," according to  David Albert,
senior planner and policy analyst at the  Division of Alcohol &
Substance Abuse. In 2006, DASA  officials reported 390 meth lab and
dump sites  statewide.

In 2001, they recorded 1,941 incidents.

Drug users are not suddenly quitting, however. Police  officers are
following new trends in drug use in  Kittitas County.

The Ellensburg Police Department formed an Anti-Crime  Unit in July
2007. Recently, officers in the unit have  targeted marijuana dealers
in Ellensburg, many of whom  are close to 20 years old.

"The anti-crime unit is targeting high crime areas that  affect our
quality of life," Green said.

In the last eight months, drug court coordinator Emily  Brown has
noticed a shift in offenders. Lately they  have tended to be students
or student-aged on marijuana  charges, she says.

In 2007, the unit made 29 controlled drug buys from  dealers in
Ellensburg.

Youths using prescription pain medication to get high  is a growing
problem as well. Statewide in 2006, 11.6  percent of high school
seniors used pain killers like  oxycodone in the past 30 days to get
high, according to  DASA stats.

But area experts agree that alcohol remains the most  prevalent drug
in the county and state. It crosses all  social boundaries and can
destroy families, said  Stoneburg, who has 20 years experience in
treating  chemical dependency.

Law enforcement agencies in the county are cooperating  this spring to
target underage drinking. The DUI Task  Force will patrol known party
and underage drinking  sites.

Although outnumbered by other drug users, meth users do  continue to
cause problems for law enforcement.

Most property crime in the area stems from drug users,  primarily
meth, looking for ways to fund their  addictions, according to Green.

"They're focused on getting their next fix. They don't  seem to have
much of a conscience on where they get  their funding," Green said.

Car prowlings and thefts are common crimes committed by  drug users.
Green estimates 90 percent of property  crimes tie into drugs.

EPD's anti-crime unit has made a significant impact on  property crime
in the past three years. From July to  December in the three years
prior to the unit, the  average number of property crimes totaled 563.

The unit reduced property crime by 20 percent in its  first year,
totaling 454 incidents. 
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MAP posted-by: Richard Lake