(a) Except as otherwise provided in subdivision (b) or (e), each person who is convicted of a violation of this chapter shall pay a drug program fee in an amount not to exceed one hundred fifty dollars ($150) for each separate offense. The court shall increase the total fine, if necessary, to include this increment, which shall be in addition to any other penalty prescribed by law.
(b) The court shall determine whether or not the person who is convicted of a violation of this chapter has the ability to pay a drug program fee. If the court determines that the person has the ability to pay, the court may set the amount to be paid and order the person to pay that sum to the county in a manner that the court believes is reasonable and compatible with the person’s financial ability. In its determination of whether a person has the ability to pay, the court shall take into account the amount of any fine imposed upon that person and any amount that person has been ordered to pay in restitution. If the court determines that the person does not have the ability to pay a drug program fee, the person shall not be required to pay a drug program fee.
(c) The county treasurer shall maintain a drug program fund. For every drug program fee assessed and collected pursuant to subdivisions (a) and (b), an amount equal to this assessment shall be deposited into the fund for every conviction pursuant to this chapter, in addition to fines, forfeitures, and other moneys which are transmitted by the courts to the county treasurer pursuant to Sections 11372.5 and 11502. These deposits shall be made prior to any transfer pursuant to Section 11502. Amounts deposited in the drug program fund shall be allocated by the administrator of the county’s drug program to drug abuse programs in the schools and the community, subject to the approval of the board of supervisors, as follows:
(1) The moneys in the fund shall be allocated through the planning process established pursuant to Sections 11983, 11983.1, 11983.2, and 11983.3.
(2) A minimum of 33 percent of the fund shall be allocated to primary prevention programs in the schools and the community. Primary prevention programs developed and implemented under this article shall emphasize cooperation in planning and program implementation among schools and community drug abuse agencies, and shall demonstrate coordination through an interagency agreement among county offices of education, school districts, and the county drug program administrator. These primary prevention programs may include:
(A) School- and classroom-oriented programs, including, but not limited to, programs designed to encourage sound decisionmaking, an awareness of values, an awareness of drugs and their effects, enhanced self-esteem, social and practical skills that will assist students toward maturity, enhanced or improved school climate and relationships among all school personnel and students, and furtherance of cooperative efforts of school- and community-based personnel.
(B) School- or community-based nonclassroom alternative programs, or both, including, but not limited to, positive peer group programs, programs involving youth and adults in constructive activities designed as alternatives to drug use, and programs for special target groups, such as women, ethnic minorities, and other high-risk, high-need populations.
(C) Family-oriented programs, including, but not limited to, programs aimed at improving family relationships and involving parents constructively in the education and nurturing of their children, as well as in specific activities aimed at preventing drug abuse.
(d) Moneys deposited into a county drug program fund pursuant to this section shall supplement, and shall not supplant, any local funds made available to support the county’s drug abuse prevention and treatment efforts.
(e) This section shall not apply to any person convicted of a violation of subdivision (b) of Section 11357 of the Health and Safety Code.
(Amended by Stats. 2002, Ch. 545, Sec. 1.5. Effective January 1, 2003.)