Pubdate: Sun, 31 May 2009
Source: Garden Island (Lihue, HI)
Copyright: 2009 Kauai Publishing Co.
Contact:  http://kauaiworld.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/964
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/raids.htm (Drug Raids)

RED LIGHT FOR GREEN HARVEST

We have a serious drug problem in this community, in this state and 
in this country. For 40 years, America has been pointing the finger 
at individual drug users in an ill-advised "War on Drugs."

Our borders are dangerous, our jails are full and our citizens are angry.

In the latest local battle of that war, the Kaua'i Police Department, 
in cooperation with the Drug Enforcement Agency, last month conducted 
Operation Green Harvest, a multiple-day helicopter sting that saw 
officers swoop in and confiscate a mere 75 marijuana plants.

If there were any marijuana growers that weren't wise to the whole 
operation before it happened - and judging by the paltry numbers, 
most dealers knew what was coming - the only discouragement they 
received was in the form of profit loss as no arrests were made.

The operation cost $27,000 in helicopter fees plus untold amounts in 
manpower. The noisy low-flying choppers also irritated law-abiding, 
tax-paying citizens - especially on the North Shore.

Isn't this clearly a waste of our time and money? Is this the best 
plan we can come up with?

But, like we said, you can't solve problems by pointing fingers.

We know that the Kaua'i Police Department and Chief Darryl Perry are 
doing the best they can with the hand they've been dealt and we 
understand that it's not as if they can simply trade in their Green 
Harvest grant money from the DEA for more patrol officers, more 
informants, more resources, better equipment or more prosecuting 
attorneys. Their options are limited.

But KPD's earnest enforcement should not prevent us from criticizing 
poor policies. It's high time we recognized that the "War on Drugs" 
has long since been decided. We lost.

This shift in direction was reflected this month in the decisions 
made by our country's new drug czar, Gil Kerlikowske. In interviews 
with media this week, he said, "We should stop using the war 
metaphor. We should stop comparing this to a war and be much smarter 
about how we are dealing with it - and in a much more comprehensive way."

We agree. Let's put more thought into what we're doing and how we're doing it.

Let's refocus the money, including the grant that funds Green 
Harvest, on fighting the hard core drugs that cause significantly 
more damage to society like meth, crack and heroine.

Let's give the local police departments the money they need to 
accomplish their true mission, keeping our society safe, not some 
feel-good operation that produces negligible results.

That grant money could have instead gone toward putting an undercover 
cop on the street, for instance.

Let's redirect some of the pot-fighting funding to severely 
strengthen drug prevention and rehabilitation efforts.

We should be treating drug abuse like the disease it is instead of 
the crime it isn't.

We can help too. Parents, be responsible for your kids. Try to know 
where they're at and what they're doing. Be involved in your children's lives.

Adults should set an example and be responsible for their actions. 
We're a society, a community. We can help the police department fight 
drugs by doing our part. Let's live healthy lives and raise the bar 
for the next generation.

Hawai'i County voters got it right when they told their police to 
ratchet down the rhetoric on marijuana and put the focus and the 
funds into more important issues.

That's not finger-pointing, that's problem-solving.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom