Pubdate: Sun, 05 Mar 2000 Source: Honolulu Advertiser (HI) Copyright: 2000 The Honolulu Advertiser, a division of Gannett Co. Inc. Contact: P.O. Box 3110 Honolulu, HI 96802 Fax: (808) 525-8037 Website: http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/ Author: Lynda Arakawa ANTI-DRUG PROGRAMS GET PUSH AT CAPITOL Experts Say Addicts Need Treatment, Not More Prisons Plans to expand Hawaii's drug treatment programs are gaining political momentum at the Capitol, with legislators and Gov. Ben Cayetano agreeing on the need to spend more money to help the thousands of people addicted to drugs. The momentum is marked by a shift in emphasis at the Capitol, where discussions about crime previously have focused almost exclusively on the need for more prison space. Now, there is an acknowledgement that drug treatment also is a pressing need. And although the state's lagging economy has diverted attention from human services programs in recent years, drug treatment has emerged this session as a prime social issue for both Democrats and Republicans. "The issue is ripe, and the opportunity is there to begin the process," said House Health Committee Chairman Alex Santiago (D-Waialua, Kahuku). Although many legislators and others are optimistic that efforts for drug treatment will be successful this year, they acknowledge that they are taking small steps in addressing a problem that extends far beyond the criminal justice system. A Senate bill passed by its Ways and Means Committee would raise at least $7 million for drug treatment. However, state health officials say they need $81.8 million to treat about 15,000 Hawaii residents with drug addiction. And those are only the people who are willing to seek treatment but cannot afford it, said Elaine Wilson, chief of the state Department of Health's Alcohol and Drug Abuse Division. Wilson said about 82,000 adults and more than 16,000 students in grades six through 12 need some form of substance abuse treatment. "I think the short answer is: step by step," said Senate Judiciary Committee Co-Chairman Matt Matsunaga (D-Waialae, Palolo). "We're doing what we can now with the limited resources we have and, hopefully, in the future we can do more." Shift In Philosophy Some drug treatment advocates, however, are simply pleased that the governor and legislators are paying more attention to the issue. They believe there is finally a shift in philosophy, framing drug addiction as a public health issue rather than simply a crime issue. "I really, really am delighted to see that, and I think that we're finally starting to make some headway and have a recognition of the need for treatment," said M.P. "Andy" Anderson, chief executive officer of the Hina Mauka drug treatment program. Many legislators and others attribute the momentum behind drug treatment largely to the discussions about a new prison and the overcrowding of inmates. They also say high-profile cases involving the sale and distribution of crystal methamphetamine - known as "ice" - have heightened the public’s awareness of the problem. "I think at least part of the impetus came from the proposal to build a new prison and why was there overcrowding and the recognition that so many of these inmates were in there for drug offenses or offenses that were drug induced," said Senate Ways and Means Committee Co-Chairman Andy Levin (D-Ka'u, Kona). About 85 percent of the roughly 4,800 prison inmates in Hawaii have a history of substance abuse, said state Department of Public Safety Director Ted Sakai. The prison system has 247 intensive-care drug treatment beds and 464 short-term treatment slots for inmates, he said. Sakai said more than 500 people who were on supervised release, probation or parole were returned to prison last year because they tested positive for drugs. "There are a lot of concerns about the economic impacts of housing people who are basically substance abusing and are in need of treatment," Santiago said. "It's not new, it's just that all of a sudden people realize that you take these people and lock them up, and they go back out and they get locked up again, and they go out again. They need treatment for their substance abuse problems, and now people are beginning to go, oh, maybe we should focus on that." Studies Show Some Success Wilson said a six-month follow-up study on 832 adults who completed substance abuse treatment last year showed that 83 percent of them were not rearrested, and almost 80 percent did not use drugs or alcohol. A high percentage also had stable living arrangements. Cayetano agreed that the push for drug treatment has grown this year. "I think that it's becoming more and more obvious to us," he said. "It's pretty clear that law enforcement can't do it all anymore. Even our police said they can't do it themselves. So we need to deal with rehabilitation and prevention, and the prison (programs) is an area we're going to concentrate on." Cayetano had proposed raising alcohol and tobacco taxes to pay for drug treatment for criminal offenders. Some legislators also proposed raising those taxes for treatment, but the Senate bill approved Friday eliminated that provision. The bill, which now needs approval from the full Senate before going to the House, instead takes 10 percent of the existing liquor and tobacco taxes, an estimated $7.5 million. The bill also would take 25 percent of the money the state expects to receive from a settlement with tobacco manufacturers. The scope of Hawaii's drug problems was made clear in a series of cases involving such public figures as attorney Gary Modafferi, former state Sen. Milton Holt and the late musician Bryant "Mackey" Feary Jr. Feary's suicide in prison in February 1999 was a wake-up call to Hawaii residents for more drug treatment in prison, said his younger sister, Alison Lopez. She said Feary repeatedly and unsuccessfully committed himself to drug treatment facilities but that there was no long-term treatment available for him. "I think with it happening to someone who was a musician like Mackey, it brought a lot of it into the limelight," said Lopez, who testified before the Legislature last week. "You come to discover there are a lot of families like that. There are a lot of people. ... I think the problem is so prolific in the community that's maybe why there's the need for the urgency." A Public Health Issue Feary's death prompted House Public Safety Committee Chairman Nestor Garcia (D-Waipahu, Crestview) to propose a bill authorizing a minimum-security "intensive treatment facility." The measure, which is to be considered by the full House this week, would authorize a 1,700-bed minimum-or medium-security facility with drug treatment and rehabilitation. Garcia said that before Feary died, he had always accepted the argument "that you need the hammer" when dealing with drug addicts. "More and more people are seeing it as not only a criminal justice issue but as a public health issue," he said. Rep. David Pendleton (R-Maunawili, Enchanted Lake) agreed: "We have a moral obligation to do more than warehouse people. There's a big need out there." But Santiago said attitudes on drug addiction haven't completely changed. "I think it's going to take a little bit longer," he said. "That's a huge leap for a lot of people. Substance abuse is seen as a bad thing, where if you punish somebody hard enough it's going to make them clean. For some people, that does work. It just doesn't work for the majority of the people." - --- MAP posted-by: Jo-D