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Article: Drug users may fall through cracks in budget
- Article from:
- AP Online
- Article date:
- July 30, 2009
CopyrightCopyright 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. (Hide copyright information)
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Thousands of California drug offenders could end up without treatment or jail time because of a clash between the state's new budget and an initiative approved by voters nine years ago.
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and legislators slashed funding for drug programs to help close a $26.3 billion deficit this week.
Money for treatment programs has gone from $145 million three years ago to just $18 million for the current year.
Proposition 36, approved by 61 percent of voters in 2000, has diverted 36,000 nonviolent first- and second-time drug offenders a year from prisons and jails into treatment programs.
Officials say many addicts will now face long waits and inadequate treatment.
Such offenders ...