COM 0369.002 1996-1998 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home

JUL 81 '97 11 81 HPD CIL-KONP 92E-4z~E P.5 ' Leon K. Sterling, Jr. P.O. Pox 902 Kailua-Kona, HI 96745 (808)322-9918 June 26, 1997 Capt. Julian Shiroma Kona Division, Police Dept. County of Hawaii 74-5221 rn,een Ka'ahumanu Hwy Kailua-Kona, HI 96740 Dear Capt. Shiroma: I fully intended to personally speak at the Hawaii County Council meeting scheduled for 0900 hours, 2 July 1997, re DEA support for marijuana eradication. However, I must be in Honolulu that morning for a medical examination. I would greatly appreciate your presenting this testimony for me. It does not take too much to see through the blue haze of a manufactured smoke screen to note an increasing and alarming number of pre-teens, 12-year olds engaged in the promotion of drugs - marijuana. They are victims. The entire axnnunity is a victim. Victims of a "quick fix" t~nporary in nature that encourages an escape fran reality and responsibility. Is this the heritage destined for future generations, is cultural growth to be measured by the threatening power of the gang you belong to, a gang of arrogance demanding more loyalty than that given to family and carnnunity. For three years, I lived among the Navajo of northern Arizona. "The Peyote" users were ostracized as dreamers, and isolated from the mainstream o£ their cannunitiesyi.,.{o suffered greatly from discrimination, exploitation, and abuse but did not escape reality by becoming addicts to a dream urorld. Instead, they used, and continue to use justice, dignity and self- esteem to cope with the challenge. Data supports the facts of increasing crime rates, use of guns, total irresponsibility. Medical data supports the devastating effects of the use of marijuana. I am concerned with the victims, their future - and w~ as a cc~c~nunity cannot allow contamination of present and future generations by defaulting in this issue. Please note that within the past week, the State P.ttorney Generals settled with tobacco companies for a 368.5 billion dollars. Pay out to ccxnpensate states for health care costs; resulting fran the use of tobacco; for