Use of crystal methamphetamine, or “ice,” is a federal crime, yet Kaua’i has no “on-the-ground” presence of either FBI or Drug Enforcement Administration officers, said U.S. Rep. Ed Case. “I don’t think that that’s good,” said Case, advocating for a
Use of crystal methamphetamine, or “ice,” is a federal crime, yet Kaua’i has no “on-the-ground” presence of either FBI or Drug Enforcement Administration officers, said U.S. Rep. Ed Case.
“I don’t think that that’s good,” said Case, advocating for a physical DEA presence on every island.
But government money, programs and officers aren’t the only answers to the drug problem rampant across his second Congressional district (rural O’ahu and the Neighbor Islands), said the freshman Democrat.
“Grassroots involvement is important,” said Case. When people decide they won’t accept drug dealers in their neighborhoods, the war on drugs has the potential of being won, he added.
While on a town-meeting visit to Hana, an isolated community on the eastern coast of Maui, Case stopped into the town police station, and talked to a patrolman about crime in rural Hawai’i.
The officer told Case that ice was Hana’s biggest problem, and had contributed to a rise in property crimes that used to be unheard of there.
The officer said the most effective solution is community involvement.
Case agrees, and is pushing for $6 million in federal funds “to address the distribution and abuse of crystal methamphetamine, or ‘ice,’ in rural O’ahu, Maui County and Kaua’i County.”
In the current federal fiscal year, Hawai’i County officials received $4 million to support the Big Island’s battle against ice.
The state Department of the Attorney General administers various federally funded, crime-related programs, and sponsors Community Action Seminars, which bring people together to learn how to plan for and address crime-related issues.
“Ice is still a big problem throughout all the second congressional (district),” Case said.
“This funding will enable the state Department of the Attorney General to assist all the ice-affected counties in the state, to work together to prevent and intervene in the use of this drug, and thereby strengthen families and communities,” said Case.
Case has support from the rest of the Hawai’i delegation in Washington, D.C., in asking for more federal funds and programs to battle ice in the islands, he added.
The 50-year-old congressman feels prevention, or keeping people off of ice before they can get addicted as opposed to establishing rehabilitation programs for those already addicted, is the best way to combat the problem.
Still, Case has requested nearly $3 million in federal funds for establishment of an inpatient drug-treatment facility and transitional housing facility on Kaua’i, something the island lacks.
The number of individuals on Kaua’i with drug-abuse problems is increasing, and having to fly them to Honolulu for treatment puts a strain on local resources, he added.
Representatives of the Kaua’i Drug Court, County of Kaua’i, Kaua’i Drug-Free Coalition and Kaua’i Housing Coalition are pushing for the funding and establishment of the facilities, either by building new buildings or refurbishing existing dwellings.
“These facilities are not only needed for treatment, but are also necessary to provide improved chances for complete recovery,” he said.
State Rep. Mina Morita, D-east and north Kaua’i, who used to serve Hana as part of her “canoe district,” agrees that ice is a problem that also crosses county and socioeconomic lines.
“There’s no doubt, everybody wants to get a grasp on the criminal element of it, as well as the public-health issue,” Morita said.
Staff Writer Paul C. Curtis can be reached at mailto:pcurtis@pulitzer.net or 245-3681 (ext. 224).
