Adams County’s adult drug court may soon be at rock bottom. County supervisors recently agreed to cut the county’s annual contribution to drug court by two-thirds, going from $30,000 annually to only $10,000.

We cannot blame supervisors for the decision. It’s a tough line item to justify. Supervisors did some research and learned only two other counties in the state contribute funds to similar drug courts.

Adams County cut their contribution amount to match the $10,000 that Yazoo and Hinds counties provide.

From Circuit Court Judge Lillie Blackmon Sanders’ position, drug court serves a vital need — providing a lower cost alternative to incarceration for certain individuals convicted of drug crimes.

The problem is justifying the effectiveness of that need.

Sanders, who is passionate about the program and its need to exist, must help provide solid evidence that the funds actually help a substantial number of people.

While we agree that such programs should be used if they’re effective, the system as it sits puts the onus of funding the program more squarely on the county than on the state — which theoretically would benefit from reduced prison incarceration costs.

If the programs truly worked, they should be adopted statewide and put under the umbrella of the Mississippi Department of Corrections.

Until then, justifying local taxpayer money going into the program — at least without much more proof of how effective the program is — is difficult to justify.