Regarding the letter "Don't legalize pot" in the April 3 issue, I'd like to recommend some fact checking on the part of the author, please. First, he/she asks the question, "Is stoned driving somehow okay compared to drunk driving?" First point: no one is advocating for legalization of "stoned driving;" just the freedom we demand as citizens of a democracy to make our own choices as adults. Second, he/she claims "it (marijuana use) has been largely overlooked (legally?) here for years." Second point: according to the most recent data I could access, there were 1,524 marijuana arrests for the year (2007) in the State of Hawaii. That's more than four people a day, 85 percent of which were for simply possessing it. Even for a first-time offender, the punishment was 30 days in jail PLUS a $1,000 fine. [continues 222 words]
WAILUKU - Maui Economic Opportunity's Being Empowered and Safe Together (BEST) community reintegration program is sponsoring a community forum to share concerns on the effects of incarceration and substance abuse on Maui families. The forum will take place today, Thursday, Jan. 7, at Classrooms 1-2 of MEO's Weinberg Family Center at 99 Mahalani St. in Wailuku from 5 to 8:30 p.m. The event's panel will be comprised of Rep. Mele Carroll, Danette Kahele Arrojo, Lenny Hatori and Aunty Honey, whose daughter was sent off island, and as a result, she is now caring for her grandchildren. [continues 142 words]
Regarding the editorial "Forum to detail danger of meth" in the July 30 issue, how should Hawaii respond to crystal methamphetamine use? During the crack epidemic of the 1980s, New York City chose the zero tolerance approach, opting to arrest and incarcerate as many offenders as possible. Meanwhile, Washington, D.C., Mayor Marion Barry was smoking crack, and America's capital had the highest per-capita murder rate in the country. Yet crack use declined in both cities simultaneously. Simply put, the younger generation saw firsthand what crack was doing to their older brothers and sisters and decided for themselves that crack was bad news. This is not to say nothing can be done about meth. Access to drug treatment is critical for the current generation of meth users. Diverting resources away from prisons and into cost-effective treatment would save both tax dollars and lives. The following U.S. Department of Justice research brief confirms my claims regarding the spontaneous decline of crack cocaine: http://www.ncjrs.org/txtfiles1/nij/187490.txt Robert Sharpe, Policy Analyst, Common Sense for Drug Policy [end]
At a recent public meeting, new Maui Chief of Police Gary Yabuta said, "Everybody here knows somebody that has fallen to meth - close friends, family. The scary thing about meth is, these kids and adults don't come back. They lost it. They never come back." It's not an exaggeration to say that trying crystal methamphetamine just once can put you on the fast track to ruin and death. Maybe you've seen the hard-hitting new television ads by the Hawaii Meth Project (HMP). Dedicated to reducing first-time methamphetamine use, this nonprofit organization will hold its first Maui community prevention forum for local teens and adults on Wednesday, Aug. 5, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. in the Maui Community College Multipurpose Room. [continues 314 words]
Who are these jerks claiming privacy violations for having dogs sniff lockers at schools. What kind of idiots are these people? They couldn't be parents! They have to be peddlers of that horrible drug called "ice." Don't we realize that children as young as 11 and 12 years old are already addicted to this menace on society? Get real, folks! Protect our children and yell in your approval for random searches with the dogs. It's the best thing we have going right now. Gordon C. Cockett, Lahaina [end]
Since the late 1980s, drug courts have been developed to respond to the costly and time consuming approach of dealing with nonviolent, substance abusing offenders that overwhelm the criminal justice system. In contrast to the traditional "revolving door" approach, drug courts have provided an effective solution to drug and drug-related crime through the innovative use of comprehensive supervision, drug testing, judicial monitoring and sanctions and incentives. Though there are now over 1,900 drug court programs nationwide, individuals continue to go unserved. [continues 430 words]
