RECOVERY FACILITY POSSIBLE BY 2010

Drug Summit Offers County Snapshot

The county Anti-Drug Office released its five-year drug response plan
yesterday, pledging continued anti-drug efforts across Kaua'i and
stressing the need for funding.

Government, private sector and nonprofit leaders from across the
state gathered at the Hilton Kauai Beach Resort for an update on
anti-drug efforts and a preview of what's planned for the coming
years at the county's 2008 Drug Summit, now in its fourth year.

The annual summit brings everyone to the table, said County Anti-Drug
Coordinator Theresa Koki, to share success stories and
accomplishments of the past year, as well as to galvanize support for
the year to come.

Koki said one of the plan's major goals is to see a residential
facility break ground by 2010 - an initiative first proposed by the
late Mayor Bryan Baptiste.

In 2006 the county started building such a facility in Hanapepe;
however, its proximity to the environmentally sensitive Salt Pond
Beach Park elicited opposition from the Office of Hawaiian Affairs,
among other groups. Construction was halted, and a new site has yet
to be identified.

"The will is there, it's just a matter of where to put (the
facility)," said Diane Zachary, president and chief executive of
Kaua'i Planning & Action Alliance, the county's partner in creating
the drug plan.

Each year, 1,102 Kaua'i adults and 508 adolescents receive some level
of drug abuse treatment; however, the report acknowledges gaps in the
continuum of care. Proponents of a local facility say its presence
will alleviate the waiting list for off-island residential programs,
which is currently between 20 to 30 people.

According to Koki, a renewed push for enhanced treatment options
on-island will require "buy-in from everyone."

Collaboration is nothing new for the Anti-Drug Office, as its efforts
span drug prevention, enforcement, treatment and community
integration. The 2008-2013 plan continues the four-prong approach,
aiming to beef up prevention activities on-island, with a focus on
after-school, summer and weekend activities for youth; establish
on-island therapeutic living facilities; and support law enforcement
and intervention programs as well as collaboration among county,
state and federal agencies.

Zachary said creating strong families is another key component of the
plan. The Parent Project program, which offers parents no-nonsense
solutions to problems, was attended by 100 participants in its first
run this year. But Zachary hopes its role can expand to help hundreds
of parents.

Finding additional funding to support anti-drug efforts is also a
high priority. There are currently no state or federal grants
available for the county's substance abuse programs, states the
report. Many programs rely on private foundations, corporate support
and limited state grants-in-aid to get by.

"We want everyone to realize funding is a big issue," Koki said.

Sustainable funding ideas, such as earmarking a percentage of taxes
of alcohol products or confiscated property sales, will be explored,
according to Zachary.

As for the drug problem itself, substantial strides have been made in
terms of crystal methamphetamine, or ice, use.

Hawai'i U.S. Attorney Ed Kubo said that seven years ago Hawai'i was
labeled the "ice capital of the U.S.," with 30,000 users among the
state's 1.2 million population.

A targeted enforcement effort led to major ice and marijuana busts in
the last year, including the first wire tap on Kaua'i. But that
doesn't mean it's time for the state to rest on its laurels, according to Kubo.

"Now's not the time to relax," he said.

Koki agreed, saying people mistakenly think the ice problem went away
entirely because of successful efforts to reduce it. The Baby SAFE
program saw five "ice babies" born to drug-addicted mothers in one
month this year. And the county currently reports that 80 to 90
percent of all crimes committed are drug-related.

Meanwhile, law enforcement is seeing a rise in cocaine arrests and seizures.

The Hawai'i U.S. Attorney's Office continues to target violent repeat
offenders, working on the premise that 20 percent of criminals commit
80 percent of the crimes. But Kubo stressed that community support is
critical, as is partnership with service organizations.

"Law enforcement is not the answer to every problem," Kubo said,
adding that treatment and prevention are key to a holistic approach
to the drug problem.