Workshop to feature judge for drug court

CALAIS – The judge who heads up the drug court program in Washington County will discuss aspects of the system at a workshop at 6 tonight.

The workshop will be held at the City Building and is open to the public.

Last year, the City Council discussed inviting 4th District Court Judge John Romei, who also serves as the judge for drug court. That court is held in Calais and Machias.

The councilors are concerned about the drug problem in Calais and they are interested in learning more about the drug court, Acting City Manager Jim Porter said Thursday.

“They want to stay informed and do everything they can,” he said. “They want to hear more about what’s going on with drug court.”

Unlike other court systems that focus on punishment, drug court is a court-supervised treatment program.

He said the councilors also have spoken with Neighbors Against Drug Abuse, a local grass-roots organization formed to fight the drug problem in the Calais area. The group hopes to establish outpatient treatment centers in the Calais and Machias areas.

In Washington County, the drugs of choice are OxyContin and Dilaudid, highly addictive painkillers that are snorted or injected. The county has an estimated 600 addicts.

Washington County has one of five Maine Adult Drug Treatment Courts, a program funded with $750,000 of Maine’s tobacco settlement money. The other sites are in Portland, Bangor, Lewiston-Rumford and York-Biddeford.

For those unable to attend, the workshop will be broadcast over WQDY-AM 1230.