Pubdate: Fri, 02 Jul 2010
Source: Garden Island (Lihue, HI)
Copyright: 2010 Kauai Publishing Co.
Contact: 
http://thegardenisland.com/shared-content/perform/?domain_name=thegardenisland.com&form_template=letters
Website: http://kauaiworld.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/964
Author: Paul C. Curtis

IT TAKES A COMMUNITY TO FIGHT THE WAR ON DRUGS

Editor's note: This is the fifth in a series of articles on 
methamphetamine use in Hawai'i.

LIHU'E - What do Big Island Mayor Billy Kenoi, Kamehameha Schools 
Trustee Micah Kane and Grove Farm President and Chief Executive 
Officer Warren Haruki have in common?

Besides being leaders in Hawai'i, they are all members of the 
advisory council of the Hawai'i Meth Project.

For Haruki, the decision to get involved was an easy one, he said.

"The Hawai'i Meth Project is so important to Kaua'i, especially when 
our youth feel that meth is easy to acquire and there is little to no 
risk to trying it once or twice," said Haruki.

"The truth is that meth has devastating effects on our children, 
families and our community. For this reason, I am involved and I urge 
all citizens to join the efforts to prevent meth use - not even once," he said.

The project slogan is "not even once," referring to the highly 
addictive nature of methamphetamine that oftentimes gets people 
hooked or physically addicted after just one use.

"We have seen significant change to teen and young-adult attitudes 
based on results as reported by the survey, and as Warren Haruki 
stated it's critically important that we continue to have support 
from all facets of the community as we endeavor to change not just 
attitudes but behaviors with teens and young adults moving forward," 
said Cindy Adams, executive director of the Hawai'i Meth Project, 
referring to results of a study released earlier this month 
indicating greater awareness among Hawai'i teens and young adults in 
terms of the dangers of meth.

"He's a leader in the community, well-respected, a very valuable 
contributor," Adams said of Haruki.

"Warren has been very, very helpful in that regard," a community 
leader, helpful, supportive, she said.

Adams, a resident of Waikoloa on the Big Island, said Kenoi got 
involved in Big Island anti-drug efforts when he served on an 
anti-ice task force under former Big Island Mayor Harry Kim, and has 
remained engaged with the Hawai'i Meth Project even after Kenoi was 
elected mayor.
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MAP posted-by: Keith Brilhart