Over the past half year, Jerome Block Jr.'s very public struggle with substance abuse put a spotlight on Santa Fe's drug court.

The former Public Regulation Commission member recently was sent to prison for 60 days for a psychological evaluation after he was kicked out of the program. The 34-year-old tested positive for cocaine and was found to have texted a teenage girl in the juvenile drug court program about prescription drugs. The girl asked Block by text if he could get a certain drug. He answered her "yes."

But Block's experience isn't the norm, some drug court advocates say.

Many participants across New Mexico who are enrolled in drug courts complete their programs and save the state money that would otherwise go toward incarcerating them, helping to reduce the rate of offenders who return to lockup within 36 months after their release, supporters say.

But a bad economy and a corresponding dip in state tax revenues in recent years have hit New Mexico's drug courts hard. There are 43 programs around the state these days, down from 46 a few years ago, said Peter Bochert, statewide drug court coordinator for the Administrative Office of the Courts in Santa Fe.

In addition to the reduction in programs, several drug courts are in danger of closing as they struggle financially, he added.

State lawmakers, however, are considering a legislative fix to keep that from occurring. House Bill 38, sponsored by Albuquerque Democrat Rep. Bill O'Neill, would divert roughly $1.6 million a year from the $45 million the New Mexico Liquor Excise Tax generates each year to drug courts to keep those financially fragile programs open.

The legislation appears to have some support around the Capitol.

"One of the things I've learned about the drug courts is that they've had the most impact on repeat offenders that I've seen," said Sen. Majority Leader Michael Sanchez, D-Belen.

Sen. Peter Wirth, D-Santa Fe, considers money for drug courts well spent.

"What's so tragic about this is that these intervention courts on the front end are the programs that have resulted in drops in our prison population," he said.

Drug courts were listed as one of four possible factors to explain a decline in the number of prisoners in New Mexico correctional facilities, according to a June 2008 report by the New Mexico Sentencing Commission, which cited drug courts as indirectly keeping "the offender from being rearrested and potentially going to prison."

The drug courts' recent financial troubles started in 2009 when the state's courts "had to start looking at money that had been appropriated specifically for drug court and use it for court regular so they could protect staff," Bochert said.

That's what happened in Santa Fe's drug court programs, Lupe Sanchez, program manager for the 1st Judicial District Drug Court program, said Friday.

Santa Fe's adult drug court program -- in which Block was enrolled -- went from treating about 35 clients at any time down to 20, Lupe Sanchez said.

The program recently won a two-year $200,000 grant.

"That is helping us survive," Lupe Sanchez said. But after two years, the money will run out.

"What we are going to look to do [after two years] is replace that funding," he said.

And that's where the $1.6 million a year would come in handy, Lupe Sanchez said.

HB 38 is waiting for a hearing before the House Taxation and Revenue Committee. It cleared the House Business and Industry Committee unanimously with bipartisan support last week.

Contact Trip Jennings at 986-3050 or at tjennings@sfnewmexican.com.