The court's three judges are in talks with the county solicitor general's office to create a similar program for repeat marijuana possession offenders.
"We have a ton of marijuana repeat offenders," State Court Judge Alan Jordan said.
The DUI/Drug Court, created by Chief Judge C.J. Gober, is credited with reducing DUI cases in the county.
There are about 100 people currently participating in the program, which coordinates substance-abuse intervention for repeat DUI offenders with judicial support through sanctions and incentives.
It includes five phases of varying lengths designed to help participants gradually transition from frequent to minimal supervision. The program is open to offenders who live in Cherokee and have been charged with two or more DUIs in the last five years or three or more in their lifetime.
It costs about $5,000 to participate in the program, and Gober noted he fears the sustained economic downturn may affect the number of people who can participate.
Last year was a big year for the court as it finally received its long-awaited third judge: Dee Morris, and created a separate court for domestic violence incidents.
The state court in 2010 saw 3,351 civil cases and 11,347 criminal cases. In 2009, there were 4,013 civil and 13,395 criminal cases.
Gober said the court performed well despite a steady caseload and budget challenges.
"I'm proud of the sacrifices all the employees have had to make," Gober said.
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