Current participants, graduates and supporters of Proposition 36, California’s voter-enacted, treatment-instead-of-incarceration law, gathered this week at the California Capitol to celebrate seven years of success for the groundbreaking program. Hundreds of rally participants represented the more than 84,000 people who have graduated from the program in the last seven years—and called attention to the more than $1.5 billion saved by Prop. 36 since 2001.

Margaret Dooley-Sammuli, DPA’s deputy state director for Southern California, described the crowd: “It’s a great feeling here today, with hundreds of us celebrating seven successful years of Prop. 36. It’s heartbreaking to know that the program is facing the threat of a funding cut again this year, but we hope that our support for treatment is heard in the Capitol.”

Curtis Notsinneh, DPA’s deputy state director in Sacramento, added, “By making the tools of recovery available to 36,000 Californians each and every year, Prop. 36 has helped hundreds of thousands of Californians redirect their lives—not just the graduates, but their families and communities. This positive impact is severely diminished by inadequate funding.”

Thanks to Prop. 36, many participants at the third annual “Prop 36. Works!” rally are living sober lives today, rather than continuing in the painful cycle of addiction and incarceration. They came from different parts of the state to show their support for the program and for treatment rather than incarceration.

The rally, coordinated by the Drug Policy Alliance, was supported by a wide variety of state level organizations and treatment providers: the California Association of Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Counselors (CAADAC), California Association of Addiction Recovery Resources (CAARR), California Association of Alcohol and Drug Program Executives (CAADPE), California Society of Addiction Medicine, The Effort, Tarzana Treatment Centers and NCADD Sacramento.

Other supporters included: A New PATH (Parents for Addiction Treatment & Healing), All of Us or None, Alpha Project, Beacon House Association of San Pedro, California Church IMPACT, Coalition for Effective Public Safety (CEPS), County Alcohol and Drug Programs Administrators Association of California (CADPAAC) and Justice Now.