RES 340 Draft 01 2008-2010 - Laserfiche WebLink

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vdr \+ COUNTY OF HAWAII • "%• STATE OF HAWAII RESOLUTION NO. 340 10 A RESOLUTION IN SUPPORT OF THE ORGANIZATION "LAW ENFORCEMENT AGAINST PROHIBITION" IN ITS EFFORT TO ADDRESS THE ILLICIT USE OF HARMFUL DRUGS IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. WHEREAS, the organization "Law Enforcement Against Prohibition" (LEAP) was formed in 2002; and WHEREAS, LEAP is made up of current and former members of the law enforcement and criminal justice communities that have joined together to end the "War on Drugs," as these individuals share a common perspective based on experience that current drug policy in the United States is failing; and WHEREAS, LEAP's perspectives, positions, and proposed policies are specifically indicated in the attachment to this resolution, as labeled "LEAP Statement of Principles;" and WHEREAS, the incidence of illegal drug usage continues to increase in our county; and WHEREAS, according to the 2008 National Survey on Drug Use Health, in 2008, an estimated 20.1 million Americans aged 12 or older were current (past month) illicit drug users, meaning they had used an illicit drug during the month prior to the survey interview; and WHEREAS, according to data from the 2007 National Household Survey on Drug Use and Health: • 114 million Americans age 12 or older (46% of the population) reported illicit drug use at Least once in their lifetime; • 14% reported use of a drug within the past year; • 8% reported use of a drug within the past month; and WHEREAS, according to an August 2009 report provided by the Department of the Attorney General, arrests rates for Hawai`i County between 1999 and 2008 for possession of marijuana have increased each year between 2001 and 2007, with a low of 86 and a high of 204, and 177 arrests in 2008; and WHEREAS, according to that same report, arrests rates for Hawai`i County between 1999 and 2008 for possession of opium or cocaine have increased each year between 2003 and 2007, with a low of 15 and a high of 49, and 30 arrests in 2008; and WHEREAS, LEAP has rationally demonstrated why drug usage and arrests continue to occur with no sign of slowing down or stopping; and