In
coming weeks, the California
Legislature will decide
on the future of Prop.
36. If all
goes well, the program
could receive a funding
boost next year! This
is important because
more funding means more
and better treatment
for people, caught up
in criminal justice
system, who are suffering
with addiction.
Every day until the
Legislature votes on
funding and the governor
signs off we’ll
be learning more about
Prop. 36 graduates—to
remind us why this program
is so important and
needs to continue:
Cynthia M.
says Prop 36 saved her
life.
Cynthia M. had been
in the grip of alcohol
and drugs since she
was 16. She says she
doesn't know why she
went down that path.
No one else in her family
did, but for her things
were different. She
was in and out of programs
over the years, but
never stayed sober for
long. "I stopped
believing I could change
my life," she says.
"I used to talk
about what I was going
to do in my next life.
Because I was convinced
I was going be an addict
for the rest of this
life." But in 2003,
after a second round
of legal problems related
to her drug use, she
says she received a
"gift": Proposition
36.
She says she didn't
realize at the time
what an opportunity
she was being given,
but, after 7 months
in treatment, she began
to make changes in her
life. Now she is sober,
attending college and
sees a future without
drugs and alcohol. "I
used to dream of a life
not controlled by my
addiction, and it is
happening for me now,
thanks to so many who
care."
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