Craig Daily Press

Craig resident Tausha Merwin said 11 years of methamphetamine abuse came to an end this year with the aid of the new program.

Merwin is one of four clients enrolled in Moffat County’s Drug Court program, which seeks to reach defendants who are in danger of probation revocation.

Merwin, who has a three-year deferred sentence for methamphetamine possession, is one of several people associated with the program who attested to its effectiveness.

“It’s the only thing that’s helped me,” she said, adding that heavy methamphetamine abuse had been a part of her life before entering the program.

“This is the first time that I’ve ever been clean this long,” she said.

Merwin was among the group gathered under a covered picnic area Sunday afternoon at Loudy-Simpson Park for the first Drug Court Barbecue.

Drug Court, which began its inaugural year in January, is a voluntary program.

Four clients, including Merwin, currently are enrolled, and there’s a possibility that others may join in the future, said Ken Johnson, All Crimes Enforcement Team taskforce officer and Drug Court team member.

Rehabilitative and judicial elements come into play for Drug Court clients.

A team including 14th Judicial District Attorney’s Office representatives, ACET members, local law enforcement and a drug treatment provider oversees the program. The group monitors clients’ progress in meeting Drug Court requirements, which include passing random drug tests and attending drug and alcohol counseling sessions.

In addition to weekly meetings with their probation officers, defendants in the program meet every two weeks for a Drug Court session.

“It’s an actual court setting,” Johnson said.

Clients face punishments or sanctions handed down from the Drug Court team for failing to meet program requirements.

“If there is a violation, we would sit down and all work as a team to come up with a reasonable sanction,” Johnson said.

Sanctions can include community service or, in some cases, jail time.

Since the program started in January, the team has handed down about four sanctions, said Annette Norton, 14th Judicial District probation supervisor.

Norton said she thinks Drug Court has been successful so far.

“It’s just hands-down a great program,” she said.

Court appearances every other week increase a client’s contact with the judge, she said.

However, she thinks another element in Drug Court comes into play.

“There’s a family and a community component to the program,” she said, adding that support from friends and community can serve as a “safety net” for individuals attempting to overcome substance abuse.

Merwin can attest to that aspect of the program personally.

“Families are welcome,” she said. “Our families come to support us.”

Michael O’Hara, 14th Judicial District chief judge and a member of the program’s supervising team, defined the program’s success by the impact it has on individual clients.

“You’re taking a segment of society that’s already having a huge problem and to say success means that they all do well is impossible,” he said. “It’s just not a realistic goal.”

Still, he said the program’s success could be measured in other ways.

“I’ve always said that if we had one person successfully complete Drug Court, that would be a success,” he said.

Bridget Manley can be reached at 875-1795 or bmanley@craigdailypress.com.