Pubdate: Sat, 05 Apr 2003 Source: Garden Island (HI) Copyright: 2003 Kauai Publishing Co. Contact: http://www.kauaiworld.com/kauai/letterstoeditor.nsf/webletter?openform Website: http://kauaiworld.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/964 Author: Kendyce Manguchei Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/topics/HIDTA Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/meth.htm (Methamphetamine) Note: To read more about the "ice epidemic" in Hawaii, go to http://www.mapinc.org/areas/Hawaii . HOOSER: STATE FUNDING FOR "ICE" BATTLE POSSIBLE The Senate Ways and Means committee Friday passed a bill that would provide Kaua'i with money to combat crystal methamphetamine use. The bill would provide funding for enforcement, but may also include funding for treatment and prevention. The amount of funds for the project remains "unspecified." Prior versions of the bill had the money coming from asset forfeitures, tobacco stamp taxes and the federal tobacco settlement fund. "In general, I think spending forfeiture money to fund drug treatment programs is a very good idea," said state Sen. Gary Hooser (D-East Kaua'i-Ni'ihau) in a call from his Honolulu office Friday afternoon. He said he wasn't sure how the bill's amendments changed the funding structure, as updates weren't yet available. "I'm encouraging them (the Ways and Means Committee) to include funding for not only enforcement, but for prevention and treatment," Hooser said. "We're in difficult times right now, and ice is killing people and perhaps we need to make some exceptions and take some action we wouldn't normally take," Hooser said of taking money from the tobacco settlement fund. The package bill was introduced in January by House Democrats, including Kaua'i's state Representatives Ezra Kanoho, Bertha Kawakami and Mina Morita. When the bill came to the Senate March 5, it was originally to set up a "drug strike force program" directed by the State Department of Public Safety on Big Island. It would have been made up of retired and active law enforcement officers. The bill met opposition to creating a new department, so the committee decided to fund the counties directly instead of setting up a new department, Hooser said Friday afternoon. Certain sections of the bill were opposed by the Attorney General's office, Honolulu Police Department of Public Safety, Hawai'i County Police Chief, Department of Public Safety and Coalition for a Tobacco-Free Hawai'i. The question is "where will the money come from," and that the Kaua'i Police Department already receives asset seizure funds, said KPD Chief George Freitas. "If there were some extra funds, it would be nice to have a state-funded crime lab that would do analytical work, including drug analysis," Freitas said. He added that most states already have such centrally-located labs. The Honolulu Police Department has the only such lab in the state, he said. "We ask them to help us when they have time available but otherwise we have to find private labs on the mainland," Freitas said. Freitas added another way Kaua'i would benefit is by conducting training about hazardous chemicals in clandestine drug labs with the Department of Public Safety Drug Enforcement Unit. "What we don't want to see is the money that should be used for tobacco prevention and control be diverted to ice programs," said Clifford Chang, director for Coalition for a Tobacco-Free Hawai'i. Chang's concern is that if the bill earmarks a certain percent of tobacco stamp tax money to combat ice, "it's only fair to earmark some of the funds for tobacco cessation," to allow those who pay the taxes to benefit from it in some way, he said. Each county has partnerships between police departments, the federal High-Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) representatives and Attorney General's office. Kaua'i has one HIDTA officer. They have had some federal authority to investigate and enforce drug crimes. "This is probably the fastest way to tap into this problem," said Rep. Mina Morita, D-East and North Kaua'i, at a meeting about a week ago. - --- MAP posted-by: Doc-Hawk