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There is a problem.

Tens of millions of Americans are substance dependent.

Illicit drug use among 18-to 25-year-olds continues to increase.

More than 11 million people pass through jail each year, with substance abuse playing a role.

Methamphetamine is considered to be the No.1 drug problem in nearly 50 percent of U.S. counties, but less than 20 percent of U.S. counties have a methamphetamine rehabilitation center or drug program.

Locally, from January 2007 to July 2007, 32 felony drug cases were filed in Moffat County. Of those, 90 percent were meth related. In 2006, 85 percent of drug cases were meth related.

Alcohol or drugs are involved in an estimated 80 percent of cases law enforcement deals with, according to local officials.

What does this mean?

We are losing the War on Drugs.

So, we can send offenders to jail. But is that working?

Nearly 70 percent of those convicted and released are arrested for a new crime within three years.

Ninety-five percent relapse to substance abuse.

There is a solution.

Well actually, there are many solutions, but we're looking at the most recent to make its way to Moffat County: Drug Court.

The program started in January and currently has four participants. There are rules about who can be in, and what that means (see today's Drug Court story on page 1), but the end game is this: It is an attempt to break the vicious cycle of those who seemingly can't get out.

This isn't to say it's the perfect solution. At least not in its current format.

Michael O'Hara, 14th Judicial District judge and the Drug Court judge, readily admits the Drug Court is a work in progress. That fine-tuning is happening along the way.

There are questions about defendants' rights if they agree to Drug Court. The reality is once a person signs up, he or she loses some due process rights. That the Drug Court judge's word is final when an infraction is alleged.

A bigger concern is the area's lack of treatment options. Until more treatment facilities are available, one could argue that having a Drug Court is similar to having a bank with $5 on hand - not too many people can make withdrawals before the resources are gone.

But this isn't to say that the Drug Court is a bad idea.

In fact, the Editorial Board endorses it.

We see too many people caught up in the cycle of substance abuse, too many people who make their way through the legal system again and again.

Yet, the system isn't changing.

Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results is the definition of insanity.

Drug Court offers a different path.

Although those who enter may give up some due-process rights, they are well aware of that going in. And being in Drug Court is better than being in jail, which could be the path for some if they didn't sign up.

And although area treatment options are limited, the Drug Court creates a structured form of accountability. Every two weeks, participants discuss their lives and try to figure out how to overcome their addictions. They are not kicked out if they relapse, but it is not overlooked either. There are consequences.

But there also are rewards.

Several community members have donated incentives for Drug Court participants, such as gift certificates to movies and restaurants. This community has long complained of the area's drug problem, but as those donations show, even those not directly involved with the Drug Court can help, and you can, too.

Again, it's not currently perfect, but the Drug Court's intentions are well placed, it is a start in the right direction, and with good people in place to help pace it through the trials of miles, the Editorial Board believes they will figure out how to overcome these, and other, hurdles and reach the goal.

Because in the end, the program offers what the current system doesn't: hope.

Hope that those who have signed up can overcome their drug problems.

Hope that those who do complete the minimum 52-week program will come back and help others in the program.

Hope that the cycle can be broken.

Because as we said, there is a problem.

Drug Court can be part of the solution.

Statistics listed come from an Information Meeting document, which was presented in 2007