‘Ice’ takes
center stageDrug experts meet today
in Waikiki to map out strategies
against an "epidemic"
of addictions
People on the front lines of the fight against crystal methamphetamine are gathering in Waikiki today to draw up a battle plan.
Over the next three days, about 400 invited participants in a drug summit convened by Lt. Gov. James "Duke" Aiona Jr. will hear from experts and discuss strategies and model legislation to stem what has been called a crystal methamphetamine epidemic in Hawaii.
Aiona, who started the Drug Court program while a circuit judge, said the ice problem has reached a critical mass in Hawaii, where almost everyone knows someone affected by ice addiction or related crime.
"Now that we have this surge, this groundswell, you're going to see more prioritizing and more commitment," he said.
But he said the summit is not just about one drug.
"I hope people know we are not trying to say, 'We get rid of ice, we get rid of the problem,'" Aiona said, noting that alcohol and other drugs also affect our communities. "I hope people understand that. It's much more than this one thing."
Participants in the summit include federal, state and county elected officials, drug treatment providers, police, judges and church and community leaders.
Speakers include Gov. Linda Lingle, U.S. Attorney Ed Kubo, Scott Burns, a deputy director for state and local affairs from the National Office of Drug Policy, and even comedian Frank De Lima, who started a transition program for children entering intermediate school.
Aiona said communities have banded together to hold signs and have begun talking about ways to battle the drug problem in their neighborhoods.
"A lot of communities are saying, 'OK, now what do we do?' and it's not that easy," he said.
That is why part of the summit will be devoted to helping community groups get funding and come up with their own programs to battle drug and alcohol abuse.
The last day of the summit is set aside for discussion groups to come up with recommendations for lawmakers and law enforcement.
"We (the Lingle-Aiona administration) are ready, willing and able to commit to what we can," Aiona said. "We're not saying we're going to put everything in it, but we know it's something we gotta commit to, and we will as best we can."
Over the past two months through a series of "talk story" meetings, Aiona has heard from hundreds of residents in 13 communities on the crystal methamphetamine problem.
"They all have major problems. They all identify ice houses within their neighborhoods. The issues pretty much were the same. The concerns pretty much were the same," he said.
The meetings pinpointed residents' frustrations with how law enforcement and government agencies do not respond to known ice users or houses, Aiona said.
"There's a dissatisfaction with response time," he said. "People are pretty frustrated."
During the summit, Aiona will release a survey of almost 1,000 residents completed over the course of the sessions. The survey asked residents to rank how the drug problem and underage drinking affects their communities. It also asked what is needed to reduce drug and alcohol problems and listed things like increased police presence, more treatment services and organized community and youth activities.
Aiona said his personal priorities are education and prevention, especially in the public schools. He favors drug testing of students.
"I've got a lot of feedback from the talk-story sessions, and people want it," he said.
"It's not to catch somebody and say, 'Ah ha.' It's not to label somebody and say, 'Yeah, he's got a drug problem,'" he continued. "It's a tool for the parents."
The lieutenant governor says a simple screening for four drugs would cost about $1 to $2 a test. He said he believes federal money is available to pay for it, and if the test is voluntary, schools may be able to do it without legislative approval.
"If schools want to adopt it or, more importantly, if parents are behind it, they can make a program on their own."
Aiona also said drug education in schools must improve.
"I really believe we need to have more (drug education)," he said. "It can't just be DARE in the fifth grade and that's it."
Aiona said drug and alcohol education should have a curriculum that starts with a simple 'Just say no to drugs' message and then advances as the students mature and can understand more complex concepts.
"It's like math," he continued. "You start with addition and subtraction and multiplication and division, and you work your way up to geometry, algebra and trigonometry."
Sen. Colleen Hanabusa, co-chairwoman of the Legislature's ice task force, said lawmakers will be watching the results of the summit and coming up with a package of bills for next year's session.
She said there is a lot of support for education and prevention in the Legislature.
"The bottom line for most legislators is the impact on kids," Hanabusa said.
Hanabusa noted that a survey last year of alcohol, tobacco and other drug use among Hawaii students showed a decline in ice use.
"Whatever we're doing, obviously, that seems to be working," she said.
Aiona said he hopes he can work with legislators to develop a joint package of bills with the administration.
"I don't want it to be apples and oranges. I want us to be together," he said.
Aiona emphasized that residents should not expect the state's ice problem to disappear after one summit.
"We're really going to have to hope people can bear with us," he said. "We need more money in all areas, so that's where we have to have the patience."
