During Prohibition, Alcohol Could Be Bought at the Corner Drugstore "He owned some drugstores, a lot of drugstores," Daisy Buchanan said. "He built them up himself." To Daisy, this was a perfectly reasonable explanation of the wealth of her new neighbor, Jay Gatsby. To her husband, more knowing about the world beyond the boundaries of East Egg, it was evidence that Gatsby had made his money as a bootlegger. Modern readers in the grip of F. Scott Fitzgerald's prose may not recognize the meaning of Tom Buchanan's insight, but Fitzgerald knew his contemporaries would understand. In 1925, when "The Great Gatsby" was published, the meaning of "drugstores" was as clear as gin: Those were the places you went to get medically prescribed alcohol, a legally acceptable source of liquor during all 13 years of Prohibition. [continues 543 words]
A Honolulu police officer has been convicted in Las Vegas of misdemeanor driving under the influence and marijuana charges stemming from his arrest last August. He was in Las Vegas to take part in a softball tournament. A justice of the peace Tuesday found Kevin Fujioka, 38, guilty of the two misdemeanor charges and ordered Fujioka to pay $580 in fines and fees. Prosecutor Bruce Nelson yesterday said that a felony charge of driving under the influence against Fujioka was dismissed because it conflicted with the misdemeanor DUI charge. [continues 54 words]
"We don't know the ending," says director Ed Eaton of the performance montage he's directing with the Pono Players. The title of the piece is "Ripples: My Best Friend is Smoking Ice," an educational theater play. The variable ending of this play is as limitless as responses from the audiences, Eaton says. It's a collaboration among the actors, director, program coordinator, and partner agencies. Using an ice hotline as an opening device, actors pipe out rapid-fire facts about the drug. Pono players - eight actors ranging in age from 15 to 22 - arrive on stage and freeze. Derrick, the best friend of Chad, who is the captain of the school's football team, asks the audience what they'd do if they saw a friend about to jump off a cliff. [continues 413 words]
Souza Complied With Court Conditions After Arrest In Vegas Las Vegas prosecutors have dropped a minor marijuana possession charge against Honolulu police officer Shane Souza, who yesterday pleaded guilty to obstructing a public officer. Because Souza, 47, complied with a list of court conditions and has stayed out of trouble since his arrest seven months ago, the case against him is considered completed and the misdemeanor marijuana charge will not be pursued, according to Tess Driver, spokeswoman for the Clark County Nevada District Attorney's Office. [continues 146 words]
It is no coincidence that law enforcement is mounting a propaganda campaign to convince Hawai'i legislators and the public that opening medical marijuana dispensaries is a bad idea ("L.A. police say marijuana dispensaries a failed idea," March 19). This is the first year amendments to Hawai'i's 10year old medical marijuana law have progressed in the Legislature. Opening dispensaries to provide registered patients with safe and legal access to marijuana was the number one recommendation of the Medical Cannabis Working Group. Our law permits qualifying patients to use this medical herb without providing a legal supply - thus forcing patients to go the black market to obtain their medicine. [continues 115 words]
It appears The Advertiser's editors print more anti-marijuana articles than pro. On March 19, The Advertiser printed two articles denouncing the thought of legalization. ("Crimes soar in legal pot areas," Page A8 and "L.A. police say marijuana dispensaries a failed idea," Page B3). And yet we have a "real-world" example that most educated people have heard of - Prohibition. It was called the "Noble Experiment." Well-meaning people felt compelled to force their views on the general public, likely because of a few "bad apples" that drank excessively and then acted badly. [continues 110 words]
If The Advertiser's editors had the openness of mind to actually try cannabis as treatment for their likely deadline stress - instead of taking the standard anti-anxiety meds and hitting the bottle come pau hana time - the black-and-white opinion of the Legislature's so-called potshop bill, SB 2213,might have been a little more informed and nuanced ("Marijuana shops? Wowie, what a bad idea," March 10). Yes,the Los Angeles County Council is seeking to more closely regulate the number and location of their 1,000 cannabis dispensaries. That's why SB 2213 only allows the counties the ability to establish compassion centers - if they want to and as they each see fit. [continues 63 words]
Officers Tell Forum on Maui They Drive Misuse and Crime WAILUKU -- Hawai'i could see an increase in crime and other economic fallout if it legalizes medical marijuana dispensaries and softens medical marijuana laws, two Los Angeles police officers told the Hawaii Medical Marijuana Summit. "It's so bad in L.A.," said Sgt. Eric Bixler of the Narcotics Division of the Los Angeles Police Department. He said law enforcement officials there deal daily with the effects of California's Proposition 215, which allows patient caregivers to possess and cultivate marijuana for personal medical use. People driving while smoking, and teens buying marijuana at dispensaries to resell on the street are just some of the problems caused by the law, the officers said. [continues 634 words]
Medical Marijuana Linked to Robberies, Shootings, Murders SAN FRANCISCO -- Patients, growers and clinics in some of the 14 states that allow medical marijuana are falling victim to robberies, home invasions, shootings and even murders at the hands of pot thieves. There have been dozens of cases in recent months alone. The issue received more attention this week after a prominent medical marijuana activist in a Seattle suburb nearly killed a robber in a shootout -- the eighth time thieves had targeted his pot-growing operation. [continues 461 words]
Please support SB 2213 Compassion Centers. It is of great urgency that medical marijuana patients in this state have safe and legal access to their medicine when they need it, without having to depend on gardening it themselves or having a single caregiver do it and risk violent theft in the act. Dispensaries are necessary because people who are sick and dying are in desperate need of a safe, legal, and reliable source of their medicine. Medical patients should not be forced to go to street drug pushers to secure a legal medicine for themselves. [continues 93 words]
While the poor, the weak and the young will pay for the state's budget shortfall, there's one constituency that can count on regular public subsidies - prison inmates. It costs taxpayers $50,735 to clothe, feed and house one prisoner for one year. That's nearly five times the cost of one year of public education for a child. Surely investing in alternatives to keep non-violent offenders out of prison and off the public dime - without sacrificing public safety - makes solid fiscal and social sense. It's also the right thing to do. [continues 255 words]
Your editorial "Marijuana shops? a bad idea" (March 10) is itself a bad idea. There is mounting proof that marijuana has important medical uses and that it's safer than other legal substances, such as tobacco and alcohol. See ProCon.org. Hawai'i law legalizes marijuana for people who get physician-certified as having a debilitating medical condition. Past efforts to improve the law have failed, largely for unsupportable reasons. A major problem has been that if a certified patient or the patient's designated caregiver cannot grow and process the medical marijuana themselves - and many can't - they have to acquire it illegally, on the street. Most patients seeking medical marijuana, especially the elderly, elect to go without medical marijuana, no matter how effective, rather than break the law. [continues 80 words]
As a medical marijuana patient I am utterly disappointed in your editorial in opposition to SB 2213. What a one-sided, negative look at an important issue to many people, whose pain and suffering is eased by medical marijuana. Why not look at Oakland and Berkeley, Calif., where the local government and dispensaries worked in cooperation to craft laws that are effective, and where a limited number of licensed dispensaries operate. Neither city has the problems associated with Los Angeles, because things are tightly regulated. [continues 109 words]
HILO, Hawai'i - Marijuana advocate Roger Christie said his home and offices have been raided by federal agents and Big Island police. The founder and director of The Hawaii Cannabis Ministry said records, cash and marijuana he uses as a sacrament were seized Wednesday. Christie said he knows of about half a dozen similar raids on the Big Island. He told The Advertiser yesterday that he does not know what prompted the raid, which he said involved Internal Revenue Service officials. [continues 145 words]
Wow! After years of lies about marijuana from people like the drug czar, I thought we were making progress in reforming our marijuana laws. Now the editorial staff wants to go back in time. What's next? Shall we put people in prison for 30 years, like the state of Texas tried to do to Timothy Leary in the 1960s, for possessing one joint of marijuana? Phil Robertson Kailua [end]
I agree with the editorial, "Marijuana shops? Wowie, what a bad idea," that it's a horrendous idea to expand marijuana dispensaries throughout the Islands. It's wrong -- plain and simple. The increased availability of dope sends a severe message to our keiki. When people get "high," they behave abnormally. For example, the increase of "potheads" driving will make the roads extremely dangerous for sober drivers and pedestrians alike. I recommend that the people of Hawai'i contact their legislators to vote against Senate Bill 2213. Zackary Ventura 'Aiea [end]
Your opposition regarding the proposed establishment of county-licensed medical marijuana "compassion centers" appears to be misguided. Under present law, qualified patients have the legal option to use marijuana therapeutically under their doctor's supervision. Yet the law fails to provide these patients with safe, legal, consistent above-ground access to their medicine. Senate Bill 2213 seeks to rectify this situation by providing patients with access to medical marijuana in a strictly controlled, state-regulated manner. Similarly regulated facilities are operating in New Mexico, and soon will be implemented in New Jersey, Maine and Rhode Island. [continues 117 words]
The editorial "Marijuana shops? Wowie, what a bad idea" was just plain biased and thinly argued. Sure, SB 2213 could be better, but it does provide for regulating who can be employed in a compassion center, how they obtain their product, conditions for security of grown product and conditions on who may purchase the cannabis. This biggest drawback to the law is that it waits until 2012 to go into effect. That is a mistake, because people will say the activity is legal the day the law passes and will start setting up shop right away. [continues 99 words]
As if this state wasn't swimming in a sea of troubles already, some lawmakers are seriously contemplating various strategies for loosening state curbs on marijuana use, beyond the current allowances for medical purposes. Have none of them been paying attention to what has happened in other communities once this particular Pandora's box has been opened? The proposal that seems to be moving fastest is Senate Bill 2213: It passed the Senate and will be heard by two House panels at 10:45 a.m. tomorrow in Room 309. [continues 311 words]
In regard to the unsigned editorial taking pot shots at marijuana pharmacies: I hope you're never in a situation where you're in so much pain and you've endured epidurals, pain pills and patches and try to find relief with marijuana. You have to wait months to get your (marijuana) medicine because the only way you can legally get it is to grow it yourself or have someone else to grow it for you. Can you imagine if all prescription drugs were that way? Here's your cholesterol prescription; it's garlic, but you have to grow it. [continues 66 words]
Hansen's Disease Patient's Arrest 'Really Not Shocking' Moloka'i service providers and law enforcement say the arrest of a Kalaupapa Hansen's disease patient on federal drug distribution charges illustrates how even one of the state's smallest communities isn't immune from the scourge of Hawai'i's crystal meth problem. The investigation has put a spotlight on Kalaupapa, the Hansen's disease settlement where 19 patients still live along with about 80 National Park Service and Department of Health workers. [continues 767 words]
Budget Cuts Forcing Programs to Treat Fewer Offenders, Delay Services By the time she was 16, Christianna Maglinti, a high school dropout and runaway, had been arrested dozens of times, had been using crystal meth and was well on her way to becoming another inmate in Hawai'i's overcrowded prison system. Then she was referred to Girls Court, an alternative Judiciary program that takes a more holistic approach to dealing with offenders. Like the 10 other specialized treatment courts in Hawai'i, this gender-specific one addresses the underlying issues - domestic abuse, drug addiction, teen pregnancy and the like - that often prompt troubled individuals to offend again and again, usually landing behind bars. [continues 1436 words]
A medical marijuana group is recommending that Hawai'i enact laws making it easier for patients to get the drug and to increase the number of marijuana plants they can grow. The Medical Cannabis Working Group outlined its suggestions at the state Capitol yesterday. The group's report says patients need a way to get marijuana so they don't have to resort to the black market. It also proposes that caregivers be designated to provide marijuana to patients. The Medical Cannabis Working Group was formed by medical marijuana advocates in October after Gov. Linda Lingle said the state couldn't afford to fund a task force passed into law over her objections. The group is made up of medical professionals, patients and caregivers. [end]
Skip Miller's sermon on the dangers of marijuana ("Marijuana too damaging to be legalized," Jan. 31) is a compendium of distortions and discredited drug war assertions. The idea that legalization would increase substance abuse flies in the face of the evidence. We were warned that legalizing medical marijuana would dramatically increase teenage use, but an authoritative UCLA study showed that teenage use has actually decreased. Miller's claim that cannabis is a "gateway drug" has been thoroughly undone by a number of scientific reports, including a 12-year study from the University of Pittsburgh. [continues 122 words]
Authorities say the death of 23-month-old Cyrus Belt, whose accused killer was high on crystal meth, along with virtually every adult in the toddler's life, highlights the major role illegal drugs play in many crimes - from murders to thefts - in the Islands. Witnesses detailed in court this week the crystal meth use by not only accused killer Matthew Higa, but by Belt's mother, Nancy Chanco, her live-in boyfriend, her father and Higa's father. Authorities say the case is a stark example of how drugs are linked to crime, and they're warning residents that though the crystal meth problem is not at the epidemic proportions it once was, it remains a factor in many crimes. [continues 782 words]
I don't know what it is with Maui legislators and marijuana, but in the past, it was state Rep. Joe Bertram III who tried to have the state all but roll joints for the pot smokers, and this year it's state Sen. J. Kalani English. English wants the state to go beyond legalizing marijuana for medical use, which we already do along with 13 other states, and create licensed dispensaries to actually distribute medical marijuana. I have no problem with the state allowing the medical use of marijuana for those with serious illnesses who believe pot brings them relief -- I've tried it myself -- but there's a difference between allowing its use and promoting its use as English's legislation would do. [continues 300 words]
The Los Angeles City Council's vote Tuesday to shut hundreds of so-called medical marijuana dispensaries was a welcome move, but the larger battle over pot has just begun. Across the country, lawmakers and residents of cash-strapped states are edging ever closer to legalizing -- and taxing -- marijuana. In California, the first state in the nation to pass a medical marijuana law, backers of an initiative to legalize the drug expect to gather enough signatures to qualify the measure for the November ballot. And a Field Poll last year showed more than half of California voters would support such a move. [continues 523 words]
Hawai'i court officials, including judges who oversee "treatment courts" that boast high success rates in turning around the lives of criminal offenders, appeared before legislators yesterday to argue that further budget cuts will cost the state more money than it would save. Circuit Judge Steven Alm, founder and chief advocate of the HOPE probation program, told lawmakers that it costs $1.82 a day to supervise a HOPE probationer but $139 a day to incarcerate the same offender. The program, which has shown steep drops in criminal recidivism, has gained national attention and is now being emulated in several Mainland jurisdictions. [continues 250 words]
A Hawai'i County Council committee on Tuesday voted 7-2 against a resolution asking the state Legislature to decriminalize marijuana, the Hawaii Tribune-Herald reported. Councilman Kelly Greenwell, the measure's sponsor, and Emily Naeole Beason voted for the resolution. The Legislature cannot actually decriminalize marijuana, because the drug is regulated by state and federal laws. But Greenwell said he hoped an affirmative vote by the council would put pressure on the Legislature to ease regulation of the drug. The resolution now moves to the full council with a negative recommendation. [continues 97 words]
One of two Honolulu police officers arrested Aug. 15 on suspicion of smoking marijuana in a van at a city park in Las Vegas was granted a second continuance in the case last week and is scheduled to go to trial on the charge Jan. 28. Court officials in Las Vegas said officer Shayne Souza was granted the continuance for further negotiations in the case. Souza had been scheduled to go to trial on the charge Nov. 18, but was granted a continuance until Dec. 16. On that date, a second continuance was granted, this one until Jan. 28. [continues 199 words]
Trial for Second HPD Veteran Rescheduled From Wednesday to Dec. 16 One of two Honolulu police officers arrested Aug. 15 for allegedly smoking marijuana in a van at a city park in Las Vegas will be facing a felony charge and could face up to four years in prison, according to Nevada law. Among the charges in a complaint filed this week against officer Kevin Fujioka by the Clark County District Attorney's Office is a felony count titled, "under the influence of a controlled substance." [continues 299 words]
Robert DuPont, who served as drug czar in President Ford's administration, will join several other expert presenters sharing insights into drug and alcohol abuse and the emerging concern over "disruptive physicians" at the Project HOPE/Disruptive Physician Conference, Nov. 13 at The Queen's Medical Center Conference Center. The conference, sponsored by Puulu Lapaau-Hawaii physicians Health Program, will consist of a morning session dedicated to First Circuit Court of Hawaii Judge Steve Alm's Project HOPE program, which has been widely lauded for its success in addressing substance abuse and in reducing recidivism among substance-abuse offenders, and an afternoon session that will address the issue of "disruptive physicians" whose issues with substance abuse, anger or other negative behavior interfere with patient care. [continues 130 words]
Community Gears Up To Counteract Resurgent Problem KAHALU'U - A nagging narcotics problem has renewed residents focus on protecting the community and this time people are working toward a sustainable solution, including clearing areas where known drug activities take place and forming neighborhood policing groups. Six years after a massive campaign to oust drug users from the community, residents are seeing a resurgence that includes threats to local residents by drug users, a growing list of cars reportedly involved with drug deals and a move of these drug activities to the new Kahaluu District Park where children play. [continues 569 words]
Mahalo to U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder for his new policy on medical marijuana. For years, I have thought it was a waste of taxpayers' money to put people in prison for marijuana. The authoritative LaGuardia report, published in 1944 by the New York Academy of Medicine, concludes that marijuana is not addictive in the medical sense of the word, is relatively harmless, and largely demonized in the media. In the mid-1980s, reports circulated that marijuana would cause birth defects. I think this is largely false because we have not experienced a large increase in the number of birth defects, even though civil disobedience of marijuana laws is quite common. The marijuana black market is huge -- probably around $50 billion per year in this country. I think we should legalize marijuana and tax it like we do liquor. Phil Robertson Kailua [end]
With Furlough Fridays starting this week, the ongoing battle over random drug testing for Hawaii public school teachers remains effectively deferred, both in spirit and the letter of the freshly ratified Hawaii State Teachers Association contract with the state. The current agreement does allow for drug and alcohol testing based on "reasonable suspicion," but says that random testing could only begin when and if it is ruled "constitutionally permissible" by the courts. According to a memorandum of understanding between the state and HSTA, the random testing, if deemed permissible, would need to comply with the U.S. Department of Transportation rules on drug and alcohol testing and/or state Department of Health rules on substance-abuse testing. [continues 396 words]
The number of workers and job candidates testing positive for use of opiates and prescription drugs with opiates fell significantly over the past year, according to the latest data from Diagnostic Laboratory Services Inc., the state's largest locally owned drug testing company. Diagnostic's third-quarter test results show the number of people using either legal or illegal opiate drugs fell to under 0.25 percent from more than 0.5 percent a year ago. Carl Linden, Diagnostic Laboratories scientific director, said he was unsure why opiate use had declined over the past year, but that it followed an increase in usage of opiates over the past several years. Other test results - for marijuana, amphetamine and cocaine - remained relatively unchanged compared to a year earlier. The laboratory tests 5,000 to 10,000 people each quarter, most of whom are job candidates. [end]
I was shocked by Dave Shapiro's mean-spirited column on the medical marijuana task force (Sept. 16). There was no funding associated with the task force. While not a high state priority, it does show a governor thumbing her nose at legislators. Rather than "promoting its use," they are making a responsible effort to address problems with the nine-year-old program. Improvements are vital to the almost 5,000 registered patients. Many are severely ill or disabled. For Mr. Shapiro to assert that most can grow their own pot or "acquire it on the market" is disingenuous and cruel. An elderly woman diagnosed with cancer who must start chemo the next week has neither the time nor expertise to grow her own. Sending her to the black market is unrealistic and risky. This lack of access is the main problem the task force was asked to address. [continues 72 words]
A program originating in Hawai'i has been yielding promising results, keeping drug offenders closer to the straight-and-narrow terms of their probation. That is a result worthy of support, both here in the Islands and nationally And Project HOPE, an initiative of the justice system to stop criminal behavior from accelerating, has drawn the attention of national experts who think it's a model to be replicated in other states. "When Brute Force Fails," a new book by UCLA professor Mark Kleiman, includes a major section and other references to Project HOPE, created by state Circuit Court Judge Steven Alm. [continues 162 words]
A Maui man allowed to use marijuana to relieve back pain has been ordered to pay a $300 fine. Under a plea agreement with prosecutors, Douglas Kaleikini of Wailuku pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor charge of criminal conspiracy. The 55-year-old Kaleikini had faced a felony charge after he and six others were arrested last year following a two-year police investigation dubbed "Operation Weedkiller." He was accused of buying marijuana from a group that allegedly exploited state medical marijuana laws to sell the drug to hundreds of people. Kaleikini said he thought the sales were legal. During sentencing Tuesday, Circuit Judge Joseph Cardoza said Kaleikini could continue using marijuana to ease his pain as long as he was authorized by the state. [end]
HPD Vets On Leave After Last Month's Arrest In Las Vegas Two Honolulu police officers who were arrested in Las Vegas last month on misdemeanor drug charges have been placed on administrative leave and have had their police powers removed, police officials said yesterday. An internal investigation was begun shortly after the department learned of the Aug. 15 arrests in Las Vegas, and that administrative inquiry is ongoing, the officials said. Officials would not say whether Officers Shayne Souza and Kevin Fujioka will continue to be paid during the investigation nor would they say when the two were placed on administrative leave. [continues 338 words]
In another example of the Legislature's inability to focus on the most pressing issues of the day, a new dispute has flared up between lawmakers and Gov. Linda Lingle over medical marijuana. Legislators led by 'Ewa Beach Sen. Will Espero and Rep. Joe Bertram III of Maui are squawking about Lingle's refusal to convene a task force lawmakers authorized over her veto to study the obstacles patients encounter when trying to obtain pot for medical use. Lingle, who has the power to manage state resources in the current budget shortfall, determined that the task force is of too little priority to be bothered with while core state programs are in crisis. Bertram and Espero plan to form their own working group to study the matter, which only proves Lingle's point that a task force wasn't needed. [continues 478 words]
2 Lawmakers Say Lingle Is Ignoring Legislature's Intent With Decision The Lingle administration has chosen not to convene a medical marijuana task force that was opposed by Gov. Linda Lingle, a decision two state lawmakers believe ignores the intent of the state Legislature. The administration at first cited fiscal limitations and then priorities at the state Department of Public Safety as reasons for not going forward this year with a task force established by state law. State Sen. Will Espero, D-20th ('Ewa Beach, Waipahu), and state Rep. Joe Bertram III, D-11th (Makena, Wailea, Kihei), believe the administration has disregarded a law the governor was against. [continues 717 words]
Marijuana Charges, Police Chase in Vegas Get National Attention Those who know the two Honolulu police officers arrested in Las Vegas last weekend on marijuana charges expressed shock yesterday at the news, while the head of the police union called the incident a "black eye" for the department and the state. The story has made headlines around the country and has been a hot topic on Internet blog sites. HPD officials have said officers Kevin Fujioka and Shayne Souza could be suspended or fired if the allegations are true. [continues 491 words]
Following dozens of arrests and citations at a recent concert, police hope to encourage concertgoers of all ages to leave the pakalolo at home and not to drink alcohol at public venues such as the Waikiki Shell if they are under 21. A police advisory was issued just days before today's scheduled Ziggy Marley performance at the Waikiki Shell at 5 p.m. Marley is the son of legendary reggae rocker Bob Marley, and like his father, is an advocate of legalizing marijuana. [continues 301 words]
Honolulu police say crystal meth arrests are down by about 60 percent and that seizures of ice statewide have dropped by 30 percent since 2005, when the state's ice problem was among the worst in the nation. Crystal meth remains the single biggest drug problem in the state, authorities say, but the decline in arrests and seizures signals dramatic improvement in a scourge that drove up the crime rate and whose toll on hundreds of residents - from victims of drug-related crime to users trying to get clean - is still being felt. [continues 941 words]
The number of workers testing positive for marijuana use is on the rise, according to a new report from the state's leading workforce drug-testing company. Diagnostic Laboratory Services reported yesterday that positive test results for THC, the main active chemical in marijuana, rose 8 percent in the second quarter from the same period last year, and 69 percent from the second quarter of 2007. DLS also said 2.7 percent of those who took pre-employment drug tests during the April-June period tested positive for marijuana. That was up from 1.6 percent in the second quarter of 2008, and was the largest percentage since the company began keeping records in 2004. DLS said its quarterly sample size typically includes between 5,000 to 10,000 drug tests. [continues 101 words]
The state Board of Education last night voted 8-4 to approve controversial changes to the public school system's disciplinary rules, including allowing for suspicionless locker searches and drug-sniffing dogs. For nearly two years, board members have been grappling with sweeping changes to rules governing student conduct and discipline. A major point of disagreement has been whether to allow searches of student lockers solely at the discretion of principals and school administrators, and the use of drug-sniffing dogs. [continues 406 words]
Aim Is Reducing First-Time Use of Dangerous Narcotic Through Outreach, Media The Hawaii Meth Project kicks off today at the Kalihi YMCA, citing a new survey that says 30 percent of Hawai'i teens believe there is no risk to trying meth, and 19 percent say it's readily available. The statewide drug prevention project targets youths 12 to 17 years old and is aimed at reducing first-time methamphetamine use through a community outreach program and aggressive - some would say graphic - media campaign that begins today. [continues 823 words]
The "War on Drugs" originated in the Nixon administration and continues today with billions of dollars spent and hundreds of thousands of prisoners caught annually. Yet to be won, the "war" refers to the government's prohibition of illegal drugs such as marijuana, cocaine and methamphetamines. 2009 marks the 36th anniversary of the beginning of the war with nobody celebrating victory, mourning in defeat or begging for mercy. This war has amounted to more than $12 billion in the government's annual spending over the past 10 years. In the economic conditions of America today, as we stare the Second Great Depression in the eye, any means of revenue will help. Legalization and decriminalization of marijuana will help save the government money and it will be able to allocate its officers to more dangerous drugs. [continues 396 words]
The state Board of Education last night postponed a decision on controversial amendments to the public school system's disciplinary rules -- including changes that would allow for student locker searches and drug-sniffing dogs. After nearly three hours of discussion and public testimony, BOE Chairman Garrett Toguchi said the board would table its discussion of Chapter 19 until the board's June 18 meeting. Several Neighbor Island members planned to leave the meeting prior to a decision being reached, which would have prevented the board from maintaining quorum, he said. [continues 488 words]
