Anthony Fiducia is reporting for Columbia-Greene Media the Columbia County Drug Court program held its graduation Mon., Aug. 7, at the Columbia County Courthouse. All four graduates are residents of Columbia County and were opioid users. This is the program’s smallest graduating class, said Gwendolyn Avent, Drug Court coordinator. The Drug Court provides an alternative to jail time for criminal offenders and helps to break their addiction to drugs. Participants who successfully complete the program are eligible to receive reduced sentences. In some cases, the program runs longer than jail time, but people choose the program because they want to get better, said Columbia County Judge Jonathan Nichols. Greene County has a similar Drug Court Program. Avent said there has been an increase in the number of referrals to the program since the opioid epidemic began. “We don't turn anybody down,” she said. A forum on the addiction treatment and recovery-related services available in Columbia County will be held at 6 p.m., Thu., Aug. 10, at the Hudson Area Library, Fifth and State streets, Hudson. Read the full story at HudsonValley360 [dot] com.