STEP-Up, Carbon County Concerned Citizens, Carbon-Monroe-Pike Drug and Alcohol Commission, and more gathered at the Lehigh Gorge Scenic Railway to promote a Carbon County drug court on Friday, culminating with a symbolic march to the courthouse.

Despite a relatively small turnout, the petition had nearly closed in on the prospective 1,000 signatures the planners had originally shot for."Today, Carbon County does not have a drug court. It is the only county in eastern Pennsylvania that does not," STEP-Up's Todd Zimmerman said.Drug courts are specialized courts, focusing on helping addicts convicted in nonviolent offenses, with support from judiciary, prosecution, defense bar, probation, law enforcement, mental health, social services and treatment communities.Zimmerman said that the biggest obstacle to establishing a drug court lies in funding, but with enough community support, county commissioners and government could be spurred into seeking out grants and options to start the project. He also said that money could be saved in the long run, due to the decrease in incarceration rates for nonviolent offenders.Dr. Leta Thompson, who drafted the first drug court petition to Judge Nanovic after research the topic while volunteering at the Carbon County Correctional Facility, spoke about the numerous benefits of drug courts.In addition to the recovery of the patient, there are many positive outcomes for the community as well."First of all, it reduces crime. Second, it reduces recidivism rates. And finally, it saves money," Thompson said."Luzerne County has a drug court, and they saved $4 million in prison costs between 2006 and 2012. It cost them $12 a day per person, versus $94 a day for prison."Zimmerman went over the details of how he became involved in the fight against the opioid epidemic, and the path that led to projects such as STEP-Up.Recovered heroin addict Karalyn Dietrich spoke as well, adding a personal sensibility to the fight for addicts' recovery efforts."Drug courts can help them get the treatment they truly need," she said."They will be offered rehab and help to become productive members of society again, help getting back into the community, help getting jobs."The speeches and information struck home for those in attendance, drawing attention to the prospect of drug courts and what they could offer the community during the scourge of the opioid epidemic."Adjudicating and incarcerating our way out of this problem isn't working. We have to prevent the train wreck from happening. We need to focus more of our effort and time on prevention and treatment. This is certainly proven in other counties to be an effective approach," Jack Finnegan, Carbon-Monroe-Pike Drug and Alcohol Commission board member, said in support of the drug courts.Dietrich took the batch of signed petitions in a clear tote and led the march to the county courthouse, delivering the documents to Judge Nanovic's office for consideration."I really want to thank anybody from the community that came out to support, and that did sign a drug petition, because it's being a community as a whole that we can make the change that we need to," Dietrich said.Zimmerman emphasized that while a drug court would be a major victory in a battle against drugs in Carbon County, it is not the end of the war."The drug and opioid problem is an ongoing issue," Zimmerman said."If drug courts are passed, that is not going to be the end of all of this. It's an ongoing process that we have to tackle from all different sides. This is just one piece of the puzzle that needs to be implemented."