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<br /> N~rtL Hawaii pn?,ii~ Sa[acy C~~mttt~ ~ qm I~~t
<br /> 1'.C~. Hex
<br /> Kamueja, ITawau
<br /> June 27, 1907
<br /> Gn aahalf of the Nortn Hawaii PUbNC Safety Comrnlltee, I wish to actively support the proposed tederel funding
<br /> for trlu eradication of msrituana plants. Thera has been sumo crthoism rogardiny the use of hellco{riars In the
<br /> eradir-'rtion procasy as balnv !ntiusiva and pulling the pprnmunlty at risk. There la inheront Msk In everything,
<br /> ~nciuding geU!ng out n! bed t;r the rooming, and mariprana oradicatia-~ through tho use of rappeuors antl
<br /> t,elic:optors cs nnr. risk ! am Mora !hen wlll;ng ro take. The county hiros srnatl private helicopters in an effort to
<br /> r:,unmizo the intrusion, Wh®n you <:anstd9r that virtually all police efforts are Intrusive In one way or another
<br /> jDUI road blocks are Just onr, exarnplo}, then "Green Harvest" is actually one of the least invasive,
<br /> As part of the process to rernovs man)uan&, the use of helicopters actually reduces the invaslan on the
<br /> cornrnundy, The aitamative to the helic:optor would be tU have the offieot5 walk into and out of rho area. This
<br /> requires cons3derabry mnra man hours and is also notably more disruptive. I recontly witnessed a 'harvest' nut
<br /> vary far horn my home ui the adjacent ehendenaa cane field now covered whh 30 toot high ironwood trees, Il
<br /> toots the nelicoptar apfrroxlmately 2 minutes to fiy aver my hvme, have an officer repel into the field sumo 500
<br /> yards awry, remove the marijuana plsnts and fly riff, Yos, it was somewhat distractiing at the tuna but was less
<br /> invasive than a march of officers across our property, out into the field and hack again. It is also considerably
<br /> more accurate. Soma months back my mother reported soveral young adults toting a basket of small marijuana
<br /> plards, catting through our property to go into thi6 same field. Officers were dispatched to try to toCate rho crop.
<br /> 1 hey wore unsuccessful, Aanal survey Is obvrously considerably more effective.
<br /> P.1srry private landowners eau the polies department when thoy dlswver mariJuana growing on their property.
<br /> Those funds would continue the hiring of thaso smell privato holicoptats, their highly experiencsd pi{ats, and the
<br /> paying of officors a0 outside of the tlepartrnent budget.
<br /> rho argurnont has boar tnadt~ that if "Green Harvest" (s such a wonderful process, why is there sliA marijuana In
<br /> the schools. 1Nny do we still have other drugs, guns, vlolenca, and high teenage pregnancy rates In the schools?
<br /> Y pore are programs to Combat thoso 3116 also, yet they too still exist. The only way to tndy eliminato a!I such evils
<br /> would raquiro us aU glvtrtg up nor civil Ilbortles, something I for one, am not willing lc lorego.
<br /> Trre eradicaf!on preces5 puts pressure on the grdwers. We have largo areas of uncultivated land, particularty
<br /> :long the Hanakua Co05t, includ;ng Waipfu, Walrnanu and rho Laupahoahoe Foros! Reservo. Since the polloo
<br /> started using helicopters as a means of marlJuana eradi,etlon, the number df'hooby trap" and confrontation
<br /> Incidents between growers entl fire community have all but disappeared. Previously those incAdenls averaged 3
<br /> to 4 a week.
<br /> A5 an adcitlonaP concern, I understand that all the other counties in tho state aro supportive of this measure.
<br /> 7herotore, should we choose fu not pursue the same path, tl would follow Ihat marijuana growers from the other
<br /> !stands would quickly relocaia their activlhes hero, since it would be CUnsiderably easier to grrnv their crop if
<br /> °pruen Harvest' didn't exist.
<br /> kiradicaGan Is only part of the law ontarrement program designod to curb the cultivation end distdbulion of
<br /> rnari}uana. It is armed at keeping the number of people who are plantors from successfully growing and
<br /> nsrvesling (heir crops and It is designed to keep eur forests and unculllvated lands open to Iha public.
<br /> C:CihjeGivery, 3t is the least invasive and the most affective means of fighting a very diHicull ba111e. lJttimataly, Il is
<br /> a vital and vary necessary pert of meintalning our local outdoor lifestyle, wtfere wo are free to hunt end hike
<br /> wilhUUt feat.
<br /> Mahalo
<br /> yay Mathews POat~lt^ bravo Sax transmdtal memo 7671 k~peo+• ~ J
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<br /> North Hawa!I Public Safety Cnmmitrne ~L.,~LL!`7~-
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