COM 0990.000 1996-1998 - Laserfiche WebLink

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STATEWIDE MARIJUANA ERADICATION TASK FORCE DESCRIPTION OF PROJECT PAGE 3 marijuana consumption among Hawaii's youth. A recent study conducted by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, shows that during January to June, 1997, the "younger-than-18" age group in Hawaii, accounted for 35.3 percent of drug abuse treatment admissions. Marijuana abuse accounted for the majority of treatment admissions among this group. Further studies indicate that the upsurge in marijuana use by youth is fostered by society's increasingly casual attitude and more permissive atmosphere toward marijuana. Recent movements by national pro-marijuana groups have been highly publicized. These movements include active lobbying, within federal, state, and county public forums, for medicinal use of marijuana, marijuana hemp, and decriminalization of marijuana. These issues are sending our youth the wrong message, and despite medical studies citing the dangers of marijuana use, many are more willing to experiment with this drug. Despite ongoing eradication and enforcement efforts by the Statewide Marijuana Eradication Task Force, marihuana cultivation and/or distribution activities, and operations, continues. Marijuana cultivators continue to develop and implement new and innovative methods and expend tremendous efforts to ensure a "successful harvest" of their illicit crop. This makes enforcement efforts more difficult. It is imperative that law enforcement, under the auspices of the statewide task force concept, continue its coordinated efforts in developing and improving progressive eradication, investigative, and prosecutorial avenues, to curtail this problem. B. GOALS AND OBJECTIVES: The overall goals of the Statewide Marijuana Eradication Task Force is to suppress marijuana cultivation, and to minimize product availability in the State of Hawaii. This will be achieved through coordinated efforts of the multi- agency task force, consisting of Federal, State, and local w law enforcement agencies. The Objectives Are: 1. Maintain a statewide task force of personnel from the four county police departments, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and other state and federal law