Editorials
Thursday, July 25, 1996
Drug problem
needs determined response
NEW studies indicate that the extent of Hawaii's drug problem is far greater than most people realized. Three studies by the Gallup organization indicate that nearly 80,000 islanders 18 and older need treatment for alcohol and other drugs. The results should serve as a wakeup call.
By far the most alarming report is the finding that 12.7 percent of pregnant women tested positive for drugs. That came from a survey of 973 women getting pregnancy tests or prenatal care at clinics throughout the state. Some officials said the real numbers may be even higher. Loretta Fuddy, chief of the Health Department's Maternal and Child Health Branch, said the rate of pregnant women testing positive for drugs appears to have doubled since 1989-90. The tragedy behind the results is the babies born impaired by their mothers' addictions.
A study of arrested adults at booking facilities in Honolulu, Hilo and Maui confirmed that many arrestees have drug and alcohol problems. But those results were not as startling as those for pregnant women.
The numbers dramatically illustrate the disparity between the magnitude of the problem and the attention given to it. There are only enough public funds to finance treatment for about 3,000 people, state health officials say, while 80,000 need treatment. Costs average $3,500 per person per year, which means funds exist for fewer than 4 percent of those needing public-funded care.
Clearly much more money must be found for drug and alcohol treatment programs. Equally important, much more must be done to educate people here about the dangers of drug and alcohol abuse. And efforts to combat drug production, smuggling and sales - including the marijuana eradication program Operation Green Harvest - must be strengthened.
Welfare reform
THE House and Senate have approved welfare reform packages that have gained bipartisan support. President Clinton will be hard-pressed to sign the final version into law or risk losing credibility in his vow to reform the nation's welfare system. He has already vetoed two welfare bills.
Turning over welfare programs to the states and imposing time limits and work requirements are desirable changes. But no one should delude himself into thinking that cutting welfare funding sharply can be accomplished without causing hardship for innocent people, many of them children.
Pesticides in food
THE mention of cancer-causing pesticides in food is guaranteed to terrify anyone. That fear resulted in legislation 40 years ago that prohibited any trace of such pesticides in processed food. If strictly enforced, the law could result in a virtual ban on pesticides, because today's technology can identify minute amounts that carry no risk. The law is obsolete, and Congress is correctly moving to repeal it.
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