Q & A

* Orange County Superior Court Judge David T. McEachen

Orange County Superior Court Judge David T. McEachen is an ardent foe of proposals to legalize marijuana, cocaine and heroin, even for medical use. He is known for establishing Orange County’s first drug court, which offers a yearlong treatment program to people who have been charged with illegal possession of drugs. McEachen, 54, spoke this week with Times correspondent Mimi Ko Cruz.

Q: Why do you oppose legalizing marijuana, cocaine and heroin?

A: Ask an addict. I’ve asked people who are in the drug court program. These people who come before me are in a crisis state--arrested and charged for drug possession, family falling apart, no job. They tell me they want to get off drugs. Most of them don’t want to see the drugs legalized either.

Q: Would you favor legalizing drugs for medicinal purposes?

A: No. I can understand the medicinal purposes of marijuana, but cocaine and heroin are dangerous and addictive drugs. If you legalize those, then where do you stop? Our biggest problem is methamphetamine. Seventy percent of the drug charges are possession of methamphetamine. Eighty percent of it is manufactured in Southern California. It’s very dangerous. I see people in custody who have no teeth, broken bones, lack of skin coloring and organ problems because of it. It’s like pouring Drano in your body. In Orange County, crank is a cheap drug, the drug of choice, the king. What do you do about that? You can’t address heroin, cocaine and marijuana without talking about methamphetamine. I’m opposed to anything remotely connected with the legalization of drugs. . . . We should be looking at treatment as the key to solving this country’s drug problems.

Q: How would we do that?

A: Drug court. It offers treatment rather than incarceration. Nobody advocates that incarceration works. . . . The criminal justice system and police agencies are realizing that this drug court program does work. It’s not easy, however. You have to work one-on-one for at least a year. If you arrest an addict and put him in jail for 10 days or 10 years, he will still be an addict, even stealing to support his habit. Drug court is a great alternative to jail time. It’s treating offenders with dignity and respect, and restoring self-confidence so they’ll become productive citizens of Orange County--taxpayers rather than tax drains. Addicts will tell you, “I want out of this hell. I do not want to use drugs legally or illegally. Can you help me?” Through the court, community services, the Probation Department and health care agencies, we can cajole drug abusers into dropping a life of crime.