According to a recent Press Democrat article, 80 percent of people now in treatment are referred by the court and more than half of all court referrals are methamphetamine addicts. This was given in a report in July, 2006 to the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors.

The report said that local methamphetamine use "significantly increased" in the 1990's "but has changed little since then," and alcohol still accounts for the most admissions. However, by fiscal year 2004 through 2005, the last for which full data is available, admissions for methamphetamine exceeded the number of county wide admissions for all illicit drugs combined.

Proposition 36, The Substance Abuse Crime Prevention Act, was adopted by initiative as Proposition 36 at the November 7, 2000, General Election operative July 1, 2001, which has been impetus for treatment. This law had been opposed by politicians, law enforcement, and many treatment professionals. Despite the opposition, it passed. The law requires treatment instead of jail being offered to first and second-time nonviolent drug use offenders. It allows Judges to send defendants to jail only after their third violation; sometimes there are exceptions as well. Since it took effect more than 3,000 people have been referred to treatment in Sonoma County.

Sonoma County Superior Court Judge Robert Boyd presides over most of the County’s drug related cases in Courtroom 15 on the first floor of the courthouse, next to the jail. Judge Boyd is quoted as saying that he has sent hundreds of the accused into treatment rather than jail, and he is squarely in the camp of those who once doubted its use but now believe it is the key to cutting drug abuse and related crime. Judge Boyd is also quoted as saying in the Press Democrat article dated August 20, 2006,

"We are getting people off meth...off for appreciable periods of time and staying off." Judge Boyd also said, "I think we simply need to have better and more treatment available for everybody who needs it."

Sonoma County’s Alcohol and Other Drug Services Division - Gino Giannavola is the director of Sonoma County’s Alcohol and Other Drug Services Division. Since 2000, the influx of methamphetamine related treatment has nearly doubled.

Drug Abuse Alternatives Center (DAAC) - This is the County’s largest private treatment provider. The director is Michael Spielman. Spielman was quoted as stating

"I was concerned that it [Proposition 36] was going to be a set up for failure."

Spielman and other argued that the law would not work because it severely restricts the Judge’s ability to imprison nonviolent offenders who do not finish treatment and it did not increase funding for drug testing. Today, however, Spielman is a believer in the program and is stated as saying,

"It brought in considerably more people to treatment. Hundreds of people got treated who would not have," he said.

It would take too much time to list all of the resources in and around Sonoma County that cater to those who are addicted to drugs and alcohol. However, a partial list follows:

1. Sonoma County Alcohol and Other Drug Services, 707-544-6945;
   
2. Drug Abuse Alternatives Center (DAAC), 707-544-3295;
   
3. The Latino Commission on Alcohol and Other Drug Services, 707-573-0117;
   
4. Casa Calmecac (for men only);
   
5. The Athena House (for women only);
   
6. Women’s Recovery Center (a nonprofit in Santa Rosa).