'TALK STORY' SESSION FOCUSES ON STATEWIDE DRUG PROBLEM

KAHULUI -- Curiosity, the urge to self-medicate and society's promotion of
self-medication are among the major reasons people turn to drugs, said Lt. Gov.
James "Duke" Aiona at a Maui gathering on Tuesday.

"Don't we promote self-medication?" he said during a break in his "Talk Story"
session on drugs at the Maui High School cafeteria. Society through the media
tells people feeling down to "take a pill" or get drunk.

"Work out . . . get religion, pray to God" instead, Aiona continued.

If that "pill" is crystal methamphetamine or "ice," that curiosity and
self-medication can "take you down so quickly," said Aiona, a former Family
Court judge and prosecutor. "This drug (ice) is insidious," he said. "They get
hooked and that's it. I've never seen a drug like this."

When he returned to the gathering, the lieutenant governor heard from
recovering addicts, suffering families, victims of the collateral damage of
addiction such as property crimes, and others involved in the treatment and
prevention of drug addiction.

Aiona said the Maui "Talk Story," which drew about 100 people, was "one of the
biggest crowds" to date.

Hearing from Mauians, was the main reason for the gathering, the sixth in 13
scheduled around the state. The lieutenant governor is listening and taking
notes as he prepares for the "Hawaii Drug Control Strategy: A New Beginning"
summit, Sept. 15-17, in Honolulu.

One theme that has come up in gatherings so far is the reaction of law
enforcement to drug addicts, said Aiona. A Lahaina woman, the mother of a
teenage addict, said the police refused to take her runaway son to the hospital
for detox. Instead, they released the child to the father and the teenage
addict was back on the street.

"It's very frustrating," said Aiona in response to the woman. "There has been
an underlying theme" about how law enforcement is reacting and prioritizing
resources, he said. One drug treatment facility official said the police are
"dumping" addicts with them, he said.

In their defense, Aiona added that law enforcement officers are "strapped for
resources."

Police also deal with the property crimes associated with drugs. Orion "Ori"
Kopelman of Kula related how his vehicle was stolen and torched. A suspect was
apprehended, released and stole another vehicle.

When asked why he torched Kopelman's vehicle, the police officer relayed the
perpetrator's response: "I'd never done it before. I wanted to see what it
looked like."

Two members of Drug Court took the microphone, expressing their concern over
the changing of their drug treatment provider.

David Dolan of Haiku said the provider IMPACT, "the nation's best treatment
provider," will be leaving the Drug Court because the state contract called for
too little money for the company to make a go of it.

"A lot of people have learned to trust these people," he said.

"The state is not stepping to the plate and coming up with the money for the
treatment of addicts," he told Aiona. "How serious are we at addressing this
problem?"

Barbara-Ann Keller, the new Drug Court administrator, said the current drug
treatment provider has decided to not to continue for the amount of money
offered by the state and a new provider will be found.

"It is so hard on the clients," she added.

Keller's comments at the end of the 2 1/2 hour gathering were upbeat. Coming
from Oahu to take the job, she said "good things are happening on Maui."

"Maui funds projects," she said noting that a drug treatment dorm at Maui
Community Correctional Center for women will be opening soon. "What needs to be
done is more, more, more."

Aiona is a fan of Drug Court, which he set up on Oahu. He believes Drug Court
is more effective than Act 161, a law approved last year that mandates people
convicted of nonviolent, drug-related crimes to undergo treatment and be
allowed to be on probation rather than being sent to prison.

"Drug Court catches them upfront" at the beginning of the process. "Act 161
catches them after" at the sentencing phase, he said.

Act 161 took some heat at a recent Joint House-Senate Task Force on Ice and
Drug Abatement. 2nd Circuit Judge Shackley Raffetto said Drug Court has a lower
recidivism rate. Maui County Prosecutor Davelynn Tengan said the state has not
provided enough funding to make Act 161 work effectively.

As for the flap over the number of people actually addicted in Hawaii, the
lieutenant governor said "I try to not use numbers. We know we have a problem.
Numbers are irrelevant."

U.S. Attorney Edward Kubo Jr. told a legislative panel earlier this month that
an estimated one out of every 10 residents is either a hard-core or
recreational user. The source cited for the information later called that
interpretation of his data incorrect.

Aiona added he is not questioning the source and said he doesn't believe Kubo
would use the data to frighten or scare the public.

When looking for the causes of addiction, Al Nakatani told Aiona to "look at
the journey of people." Taking ice is a high-risk behavior brought on by abuse,
neglect, being disrespected.

Nakatani is the founder of the nonprofit "Honor Thy Children." Its mission is
to "promote acceptance of human diversity through the understanding and
management of human and self denigration."

Aiona continues to accept comments. He can be reached by phone (808) 586-0255,
by fax (808) 586-0231 or by Internet at www.hawaii.gov/ltgov .