The Aug. 29 editorial regarding the Weed & Seed program in 'Ewa conveyed our community's support and activism for the program. It's like the whole community has gone through metamorphosis.

Before Weed & Seed, I felt as if I were just an individual going about my own business surrounded by other individuals. Now, it seems as if we are all on the same page working for the same ideals, and neighbors are working to transform the streets into real neighborhoods.

The insight and efforts of Sen. Brian Kanno and Rep. Willie Espero to bring the Weed & Seed program to 'Ewa/'Ewa Beach through legislation that funded the program's expansion should be recognized. They played an important role in bringing this successful program to our community.

Lyle Halverson

'Ewa Beach

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In reference to "Crystal meth summit draws 300 people on Big Island," (The Maui News, Aug. 29):

Nearly all the harm done to users and nonusers alike by illegal drugs is because the drugs are prohibited. Thousands were poisoned by adulterated booze during Prohibition. Thousands more are dying today because of adulterated drugs, an aspect of government policy my wife and I became well acquainted with when our 19-year-old son, Peter, died shortly after ingesting some street heroin in 1993.

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Editor:

Let me make sure I understand this: Two people with prescriptions for medical marijuana in Kona are arrested on technicalities, and one of them being treated for leukemia spent eight hours in our lovely jail after returning from the hospital. Now, tell me what's wrong with this picture: The roads in my subdivision have not been paved in the 14 years that I've owned a home there, but my property taxes were just increased to pay for county services. The county has the money to go into court, get a search warrant, send police to execute said warrant, and then put cancer patients into our jail. They'll spend our tax dollars on Green Harvest, but our roads look like we live in a third world country.

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Editor:

The $4 million Drug Enforcement Administration head Asa Hutchinson has pledged to the isle's anti-ice campaign is tantamount to a taxpayer-funded price support for organized crime. Attempts to limit the supply of illegal drugs while demand remains constant only increase the profitability of drug trafficking.

In terms of addictive drugs like meth, a spike in street prices leads desperate addicts to increase criminal activity to feed desperate habits. The drug war doesn't fight crime, it fuels crime.

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KAHULUI -- Members of the Kiwanis Club of Maui turned a summer service project into a $10,000 donation for a nonprofit group supporting the Maui Drug Court through the Weinberg Friends Program.

Friends of the Maui Drug Court received the donation Aug. 22. The Weinberg Friends Program was set up by the Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation to provide a donation to a charity selected by a service club in exchange for a community service project by club members.

The Kiwanis Club of Maui selected the Friends of the Maui Drug Court for the donation. Their service project was held July 27, when more than 25 Maui Kiwanians combined to provide more than 100 hours fitting, inventorying and labeling hurricane panels at Hale Makua facilities in Kahului and Wailuku.

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Editor:

As the three individuals who were arrested for having medicinal marijuana at our home, July 8, we would like to thank the Big Island communities for all our you aloha and support. Your generous out pouring of compassion towards us from around the island, your prayers, your smiles, your donations and the encouragements along with strength from God will get us through this.

We would also like to thank our Hawaii County Council for allowing us to testify and for going beyond the call of duty in contacting HCPD.

Thank you to the policed for allotting time in your schedule for coming to represent HCPD at the County Council meeting on Aug. 13.

Kea Wells

John Robison

Rhonda Robison

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With our Hawaiian economy ailing because of decades of tourist industry reliance, our leaders -- within reason -- must be willing to take some revolutionary action. If the alternative -- dedication to the status quo -- is chosen, a pivotal turning point shall be forsaken. The time has come for the legalization of marijuana.

I believe that all people in Hawaii are themselves present or former pot smokers, or have relatives or friends, or relatives of friends, who responsibly get high. Americans realize that the prohibition of alcohol did not work; it just made gangsters rich and otherwise law-abiding citizens criminal. So, too, with the prohibition of pakalolo.

Marijuana is not a stepping stone to dangerous drugs like ice; people who end up addicted to crystal meth would have ended up that way regardless of marijuana use. If marijuana were treated similarly to alcohol, our society would be better off.

Stuart N. Taba

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When you look at the various statistics for at-risk children, there is one that stands out glaringly: Such youngsters usually have addicted, criminal or dysfunctional parents who were at-risk children themselves.

That tells us that their dysfunction is largely learned behavior and that their children follow in their footsteps. Without some form of prevention to break the cycle, we are as certain to pay more for the programs and prisons they perpetually inhabit as they are certain to inherit them.

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Cigarette smokers are feeling under siege as more public places are placed off limits. The pau hana beer parties in the parking lot are largely a thing of the past due to tougher enforcement against driving under the influence.

The County of Maui's ban on smoking will be extended to restaurants, even when the seating is in an open-air area as of Jan. 1. For years now, police, prosecutors and judges have been taken a hard line against anyone involved in accidents attributed to the consumption of alcohol or drugs.

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HILO - Hamakua Councilman Dominic Yagong tried in more ways than one to get the Police Department money for more officers to combat ice.

Yagong earlier this month introduced a resolution calling for the $217,781 in the council's contingency account to pay for four police officers who would comprise a crystal methamphetamine task force.

However, that resolution came after a couple of other departments requested the money. Parks and Recreation Director Pat Englehard asked for $132,249 to go toward change orders to complete Keaukaha Kawananakoa Hall. County Clerk Al Konishi asked for $11,050 from the account for costs associated with the lease of a copy machine, which he miscalculated in the budget he submitted earlier this year.

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Crystal methamphetamine - "ice" - has reached epidemic proportions on our island.

That's old news, but it is getting front page status - again.

We reported the scope of the problem in these pages in December 1999, though its magnitude has increased since.

Community awareness of the problem has also not been lacking. Community meetings were convened in February 2001 with police, addiction specialists, judiciary and social services representatives, as well as community leaders. The problem was acknowledged again, and this newspaper on its front page shared that with the community at large.

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WAIKOLOA, Hawaii (AP) -- About 300 federal, state and county officials and other community members gathered on the Big Island on Tuesday to discuss ways to deal with the problem of crystal methamphetamine, also known as ''ice.''

The message presented by various speakers was that the Big Island leads the state in ice trafficking and use.

Acting Police Chief Lawrence Mahuna said there has been a ten-fold increase in crystal methamphetamine arrests on the Big Island from 1998 to 2000 -- from 28 to 282. The drug's reach extends to middle schools, he said.

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Crystal Meth Arrests More Than Quadrupled In 2 Years, Police Say

WAIKOLOA RESORT, Hawaii -- Hundreds of people including law enforcement officials and politicians have gathered on the Big Island to draw up battle plans in the war on crystal methamphetamine or "ice."

Hawaii County Mayor Harry Kim, who last year declared war on the drug, told the gathering of 300 people at a West Hawaii resort that Hawaii's way of life is threatened.

"I have friends and family that drugs have ruined," he said. "We must make this problem known to the people of this island."

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Not even the mighty hand of Sen. Inouye can lead Hawai'i out of its current problems with crystal methamphetamine as long as DEA Director Asa Hutchinson continues to support the failed war on drugs.

While I am encouraged that Director Hutchinson chose Hawai'i, where meth abuse exceeds that of most other communities, for a meth summit, as reported in the Aug. 25 Advertiser, I am skeptical that anything positive will result. Mr. Hutchinson has not given any signs that he really wants to change the status quo.

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Based on the experience of Kalihi/Chinatown and Waipahu, the 'Ewa community can count on good things happening as it launches its own Weed & Seed program.

But this bootstrapping effort won't succeed without strong community involvement.

Law enforcement and social service agencies have been generous in their support of this innovative program, which aims to "weed" out crime or the causes of crime in a community and then "seed" in positive changes, including jobs, recreation and extra social services.

But officialdom cannot do it alone. The program has succeeded in Chinatown and Waipahu in large part because those communities have enthusiastically backed the program. It rests, after all, on the backs of volunteers.

So congratulations to 'Ewa for its dedicated efforts in getting our latest Weed & Seed program launched. And let's hope the community provides the volunteer manpower to make it a rousing success.

[end]

Isle Gets $4 Million Infusion From Inouye For Strategic Drug Plan.

Any meaningful solution to the ice epidemic on the mainland or on the Big Island will require wholesale changes in drug enforcement, prevention and treatment.

That was the message brought Tuesday by the nation's top drug agent, and the apparent consensus of more than 300 participants in the Hawaii Island Ice Summit at Outrigger Waikoloa Hotel.

Sponsored by U.S. Sen. Daniel Inouye and Big Island Mayor Harry Kim, the conference turned away an additional 300 would - be participants, an indication of the magnitude of the ice epidemic, Inouye said.

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HILO (AP) - A Big Island marijuana advocate running for governor as a candidate for the Natural Law Party had his sentencing on felony drug convictions postponed while an agreement is worked out, his attorney said.

Jonathan Adler, 50, was scheduled to be sentenced Monday on two sets of marijuana charges.

He was convicted in June of possessing more than 50 marijuana plants and of possessing drug paraphernalia stemming from charges filed three years ago. He had faced up to 60 years in prison.

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I read with irritation a letter from Stephen Lawrence from Garden Grove, Calif. (Aug. 24).

He implies that all police officers are "tough guy," aggressive individuals who love their jobs, and "will tell you" so. What police officer does he know? A Garden Grove cop? I personally have met and known many police officers from all over the nation, but primarily in Hawaii at the retail store where I work.

I have asked them personally how they feel about Green Harvest and busting people for marijuana. Every answer is virtually the same. The last thing they like to do is bust people for using ganja, who are essentially nonviolent, when there are more violent drugs being used such as crack, speed and meth. To them, though, the law is the law and they are sworn to uphold it.

Damon Valverde

Lahaina

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In reference to Stephen Lawrence's Aug. 24 letter about marijuana making for easier arrests: It makes sense to me -- lots of money with little fight.

Suz Fox

Kalispell, Mont.

[end]

WAIKOLOA, Hawai'i -- With an alarming rise in crystal methamphetamine arrests and a host of related ills, the Big Island was a likely choice as host of yesterday's "Ice Summit," which brought together high-level federal, state and county officials and other community members to discuss what can be done about the problem.

Event coordinator Billy Kanoi, a former Honolulu public defender who was hired by Big Island Mayor Harry Kim to lead the county's attack on the highly addictive drug commonly known as ice, told the standing-room-only gathering of 300 at the Outrigger Waikoloa Resort that he wanted to help save a generation of children from "the worst drug plague" to hit the Islands.

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