Marcy Weber, left, bought a home, has a full-time job and is alcohol and drug free after participating in the Cass County Drug Court program that uses a community demonstration garden coordinated by the University of Missouri Extension. Master Gardener Darra Simpson is one of the volunteers who has helped participants learn teamwork and responsibility through the ‘magic of gardening.’ Photo by Linda Geist

There are so many difficulties to overcome when trying to escape drug abuse. You tend to keep company with other users, making it difficult to escape the vicious circle of substance abuse. Drugs become so all-consuming that you stop caring for yourself.

One community in Missouri is trying to give people who are lost in drugs a way back. Cass County Missouri’s Drug Court and University of Missouri Extension teamed up to teach gardening and along the way they teach confidence, independence and a way home.

News audio available at MU Extension Radio News Service