Pubdate: Sun, 15 Jun 2003
Source: Maui News, The (HI)
Contact:  2003 The Maui News
Website: http://www.mauinews.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2259
Author: Mary Vorsino, The Associated Press
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/meth.htm (Methamphetamine)
Note: To read more about the "ice epidemic" in Hawaii, go to
http://www.mapinc.org/areas/Hawaii

AIONA'S DRUG SUMMIT SLATED FOR SEPTEMBER

HONOLULU -- A drug summit that will focus on the soaring use of crystal
methamphetamine, or ''ice,'' in the islands is scheduled for September, Lt.
Gov. James ''Duke'' Aiona said Thursday. 

As many as 500 people or more from various community, state and federal
interest groups are expected to attend the conference, set to be held on
Sept. 17 and 18, said Aiona, a former judge who set up the state's drug
court program. 

''We want to improve the quality of life in the state by reducing illicit
drugs,'' he said. ''Our communities are speaking up that they will not sit
back and tolerate substance abuse among our children, or the harmful impact
it is having on our families and neighborhoods.'' 

Although the focus of the summit is expected to be ''ice,'' other drugs --
such as alcohol, marijuana and cocaine -- will also be discussed. 

In preparation for the summit, Aiona will release in early July details
including the summit's location and a plan outlining possible strategies and
guidelines. 

The summit will tackle the ''ice'' issue on a number of fronts, including
education, prevention and law enforcement, he said. 

Proposed legislation is expected to be one outcome of the summit. New
programs and funding requests are also expected to come out of the
conference, which will be called ''Hawaii Drug Control Strategy: A New
Beginning.'' 

Aiona said the summit will also be aimed at fostering public-private
partnerships for programs and facilities that will help to reduce drug use. 

U.S. Attorney Edward Kubo pledged his support, saying he would cancel a
similar conference planned for August and instead combine forces with Aiona. 

Kubo has said Hawaii has the worst ''ice'' problem in the nation. The drug's
use is the most serious health issue facing the state, he has said. 

Aiona likened the current ''ice'' problem in Hawaii to Oahu's Lake Wilson
weed problem, in which a fast-growing invasive species covered 95 percent of
the lake's surface before federal and state agencies worked to clean it up. 

''We're being choked by an invasion,'' Aiona said. ''Everybody's being
touched. We need to look forward from here.'' 

The summit ''is intended to provide a starting point'' from which the state
can move forward to address the problem, Aiona said. 

Plans for the summit come as legislators prepare to form a rare House-Senate
joint committee to address the problem, starting with a series of community
hearings to gain information. Communities around the state have also held
sign-waving protests against the drug. 

Aiona said the legislative committee will likely complement, not contradict,
his summit.
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