LAWMAKERS VISIT DRUG TREATMENT CENTER

HONOLULU (AP) -- In an effort to better understand the crystal
methamphetamine problem plaguing Hawaii, a group of state lawmakers visited
former ''ice'' addicts Friday and toured one of the state's oldest treatment
facilities.

Members of the Joint Senate-House Ice and Drug Abatement Task Force heard
about the horrors of ice and other drugs from former patients of the 123-bed
Sand Island Treatment Center.

One patient spoke about how ice changed her as a person.

''I was out there -- violent and abusive,'' she said. ''I was out of my
mind, totally insane.''

But she credited the center for saving her life and urged lawmakers to make
similar services available to others.

''When I see what this program has done for me, I just thank God,'' she
said.

The center is located on a 1.6-acre secured parcel of Sand Island. It
features several structures with humble living and sleeping quarters.

It was opened in 1960 to treat men with alcohol problems, but was later
expanded to serve women and those with other substance abuse problems. It
receives most of its funding from the state and treats 300-400 people
annually, executive director Mason Henderson said.

The facility doesn't turn away patients who are unable to pay, and allows
patients to stay well beyond the two-year program.

''I find that totally phenomenal,'' said Sen. Melodie Aduja,
D-Kahuku-Kaneohe.

Even with the extra services the facility provides, it has been able to
function with the same state funding as provided to other smaller treatment
facilities.

''It looks like we should be following this organization as a model,'' Aduja
said.

''It's doable. It's tried and true. It's produced positive results and a lot
of these people are happy to be here,'' she said.

Aduja added that she would like to see similar programs statewide.

Meanwhile, U.S. Rep. Ed Case, D-Hawaii, on Friday testified before a
congressional committee about the ice problem in Hawaii.

''Hawaii is at war and the enemy is ice,'' Case said.

He said the ''best overall efforts to stamp out drug abuse lies in fixing
our economy, improving our schools and strengthening our families and
communities.''

Hawaii has the nation's highest rate of adults who have tried ice, Case
said.