HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0749.049 1998-2000
U.S. Department of Justice
United States Attorney
District of Hawaii
PJKK Federal Building (808) 541-2850
300 Ala Moana Blvd., Room 6-100 FAX (808) 541-2958
Honolulu, Hawaii 96850
HAWAII COUNTY COUNCIL HEARING
USA STEVEN S. ALM
JULY 26, 2000
Chair Arakaki, members of the Hawaii County Council, the United States Attorney for
the District of Hawaii submits the following testimony. Thank you for the opportunity to
address the council today on this issue.
Marijuana is currently cultivated throughout the State of Hawaii. The largest
concentrated growth area is Hawaii County. In 1998, 85% of the marijuana plants pulled in the
state were pulled in Hawaii County. The predictable result of declining to accept federal funding
for marijuana eradication will in fact be a reduction in marijuana eradication and a resultant
increase in the amount of marijuana that is grown and harvested. A lot of that increase will be of
the large scale commercial-type operation that is most susceptible to observation from the air.
This will lead to more marijuana that is available locally and more that will be available for
export. I would urge the Hawaii County Council to accept the eradication funding and avoid this
result.
Drug and alcohol abuse are major problems facing Hawaii and the nation today. While
the rate of adult drug use nationwide has dropped substantially since 1980, the rate of drug use
among our nation's youth dropped from 1980 through the early 90's when it began to pick up
again. Only recently has that use leveled off, and in some cases dropped. 7
Comm. N
File No.
Ref. Tot ?/C. mrKi/L/
JUL Z 6 2000
Ret: qy?"t:
As I recently wrote in the Sunday, Juy 16th, Honolulu Advertiser (see attached), drugs
and alcohol are a major problem facing our state today. Alcohol causes more problems than the
other drugs combined. It is legal, however, and efforts to educate our population about its
dangers have to continue, and efforts to protect ourselves from its destructive consequences must
be strengthened.
Our efforts to address illegal drug use should focus on three key areas to provide the
greatest chance for success: prevention, treatment, and law enforcement. All three areas must be
addressed in order to bring about a reduction in drug abuse in Hawaii.
Hawaii law enforcement puts most of its efforts into attacking the most destructive drugs:
ice, heroin, and cocaine. Part of the reason they are able to do so is that they are able to
efficiently address illegal marijuana cultivation with the use of federal eradication funding. This
allows more helicopters to be rented, and the most efficient methods used to target illegal
growing sites and allow for the plants to be removed. If this funding were not available, the
Hawaii County Police Department would still be under a duty to investigate and target marijuana
production and trafficking. Marijuana production and trafficking are still prohibited by both state
(except for a very narrow affirmative defense for medical marijuana which does not apply to this
issue) and federal law. Without the federal funding to pay for helicopter use, the police will have
to send marijuana plant recovery teams in on the ground. This is more dangerous for the officers
and more time consuming to accomplish. The increased use of manpower will reduce the
availability of police to attack other more dangerous drugs. So long as marijuana production is
against the law and law enforcement is aware of its presence, they will continue their eradication
efforts. Indeed, they have a duty to do so. I am confident they would choose to attempt to keep
that marijuana-focused effort down to a minimum, as they are currently able to, with the use of
eradication funding and the very efficient use of helicopters for eradication purposes. They no
doubt want to continue to use the vast majority of their time and resources to target ice, cocaine,
and heroin trafficking.
Hawaii County already has a serious problem with drug, including marijuana, abuse.
According to State Department of Health statistics from the 1998 Hawaii Student Alcohol
and Drug Use Study, marijuana is the most commonly abused illicit drug in the state. Hawaii has
more eighth and tenth graders using marijuana daily then students nationally in the same grades.
The percentage of students statewide needing treatment for marijuana abuse (18.8% of seniors) is
very similar to the percentage of students (22.1% of seniors) needing treatment for alcohol abuse.
Treatment needs for other illicit drugs are relatively low. Hawaii County leads the state with the
highest proportion of students with substance abuse treatment needs (e.g., 21 % of students vs.
16% for Leeward Oahu and 14% for the Honolulu District). The percentage of tenth and twelfth
graders estimated to need treatment nearly doubled between 1996 and 1998. In addition,
adolescents in Hawaii County, in particular, are at high risk for substance abuse. According to
the Department of Health, Big Island youth are exposed to the greatest number of risk factors for
substance abuse in the state. At the same time, they are exposed to the fewest "protective
factors" to resist substance abuse. This puts them at the most risk in the state for abusing drugs.
Would it really be in the best interests of Hawaii County's youth to make marijuana more
available? Would it really be in their best interests to reject funding that disrupts marijuana
cultivation and thus would make marijuana more difficult for law enforcement to eradicate and
ultimately more available for distribution?
Hawaii youth need our assistance in navigating their teenage years. They need to get the
clear message that illicit drug (including marijuana) production and use is illegal, and we need to
develop prevention, treatment, and law enforcement programs to create positive, safe, sober
lifestyle alternatives.
Thank you.
helped build America -and Hawaii
-)alN GRIFAN, "aerrwror rµ sru mooxr,' P.rz B3
SUNDAY a JULY 16, 2000 www.honoluluadvertiser.com/opinion. him; • 523-8011
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By Steven S. Alm feed their destructive habit. them focused on drug dealers ed to be addfessed Hawafl every year is done at Islands. there is no way we
Virtually all of the hostage- and the resulting criminal em Om, rally manufactured in Honolulu Airport, and is be are going to arrest our way
t cane as no surprise to barricade situations in the vironmenttheycreste. the Far East, smuggled ing brought in through one of out of our problems wit h ice
hear that Dominic la-stseveral years. including Over the last decade. for across the Pacific and t hen these means. A s,anety of and of her drug and alcohol
Kcaloha was mined up John Miranda on Sand Is- example, the area around distributed in Hawai t. ice is criminal organizations trans- ahuse. To really have an on-
with cr stal metham- land %1 vman Kaleo Knua in Mayor Wright Homes had now largely a domestic prod- Pon drugs to Haviou . pace we arc going to have to
phemmine or"ice- Palisades and Dominic the highest come rate in ua. Cooked up in large quan- A number of people am approach this problem in
when he was awalvcd in the Kcnloha, have mvohcd the Honolulu, based largely on ones in Central and Sout hem caught every year, and the three to arms: presenbon,
hostage bamcade situation deadly min of guns and ice. the criminal actnides of the California by vanoas almi stakes for them are high. The treatment and enforcement
on Farrington Highway on Child P,otectwe Services drug dealers who operated nal orgarnizanons. ice is now average anent at the airport All three are unportent.
Jan. 27 and 28. reports that it is rare for them openly there. In 1998, Kaldu- comingto Hawaii through a is for a pound of ice or a kilo and all three need to be ad-
Ice, crack cocaine and oth- investigate a case of ne- Palame and Chinatown mice- variety of channels, including (2.2 pounds) of encore NI dressed.
er drug (and alcohob abuse is lea that does not show avi- dents were polled (both at a bodyrtarrying by airline pas. of these cases are prosecuted
tearing up Hawaii. It is de- dence of ice or other drug survey of 3.500 residents and stingers and through the use in federal wort and bring See DRUBS, Ba
srmyang Uses, daraghng fnn- use. at community meetings), and of the U.S. Postal Service and sentences of many years in
ilies and hurting thousands of to spite of declmim,, mime they overwhelmingly said private parcel services such federal prison with no parole. .Steven S. Alm,, U S. arm,
people financially and emo- rates for the last four years, that drug daalcrs and drug as U'S and FedE, Whilesuong Punishment oc, /or Hawaii. llenkois
tionul)y through the thefts, sevoml wmmumties across use were the biggest prob- Ninny percent of the ice, for traffickers¢ certainly ap- Ocoorrn, of the Hanoi i Higl
burglaries and other mmcs the state still capon serious lens in their neighborhoods cocimic and hemmseized by propnite, given the grief and Intensity Hrug 7 mfhrRing
commuted by drug addicts to crime problems. many of and the ones they most want. law enforcement agences in destruction they visit on our Area evrruure commmee
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