HAWAI'I DRUG SUMMIT 'JUST THE BEGINNING'

The Hawaii Drug Control Strategy Summit may be over, but the real work
is yet to come, Lt. Gov. James "Duke" Aiona told hundreds of summit
participants yesterday.

The three-day summit in Waikiki wrapped up its work with 11
recommendations that include expanding substance abuse treatment
services, providing law enforcement officials more tools to prosecute
dealers and coordinating efforts through a drug czar or single office.

"This is just the beginning of the work that we're about to embark
on," said Aiona, who spearheaded the summit. "These recommendations
are just our first step. ... We all know we're not done with this and
we have to come back together for that one common goal."

Aiona said he will take the recommendations, which were created during
break-out group sessions, to Gov. Linda Lingle and discuss them with
state department heads. He also said he plans to share and discuss
recommendations with members of the Joint House-Senate Task Force on
Ice and Drug Abatement, which has been holding a series of hearings to
prepare a package of bills.

The strategy summit drew about 400 people representing various
backgrounds such as law enforcement, drug treatment and community
organizations. The summit has a stated goal of reducing adult and
juvenile illegal drug use by 10 percent over three years, and also
aims for a 10 percent reduction in adult-offender recidivism.

Many of the recommendations were largely philosophical and short on
specifics on how to accomplish them. There were also no figures on how
much it would cost to implement the recommendations. But it was clear
that many participants felt that drug treatment and other services
need to be better coordinated through a single office or a drug czar.

Legal recommendations also included creating or changing laws to allow
for mandatory drug treatment and to make it easier for state law
enforcement authorities to conduct wiretaps. In addition, the
recommendations would change the laws to give judges the means to
appropriately sentence drug dealers and users.

"Considering the extreme diversity of the groups represented here, I
think the recommendations were pretty palatable," said Pam Lichty of
the Drug Policy Forum of Hawai'i, who added she was pleased that drug
treatment was among the larger themes of the summit.

"I guess the only disappointment was there weren't more specifics, but
when you're trying to get 400 people to agree, it has to be general
principles, I guess."

Aiona noted the absence of recommendations specifically focusing on
prevention efforts, but he said the administration will not ignore
that issue and that it is covered in other recommendations, such as
those to strengthen communities.

An obvious underlying issue that also lingers is how the government
will find adequate money to carry out the recommendations, which
include providing comprehensive treatment "on demand."

"Really, it's going to come down to where we're going to put our few
precious dollars, as a community, as a state," said Nanci Kreidman,
executive director of the Domestic Violence Clearinghouse.

"The dicey part of course, is always carrying it out," Kreidman said.
"There's so many competing demands."

Aiona said ways to pay for implementation of the recommendations --
including using money from asset forfeitures, hiring a grant writer to
pursue federal money and seeking private sector initiatives -- are
worth examining. Participants also recommended health insurance
companies provide the same coverage for substance abuse treatment
services as that for other health problems.

Aiona also said the state must first establish a way to coordinate
services before the administration can examine the specifics of
providing more treatment.

Elaine Wilson, chief of the Department of Health's Alcohol and Drug
Abuse Division, acknowledged that she and others have tried to get
more money for substance abuse treatment and prevention for years.

But what's different now, she said, is that "we have never before the
governor and lieutenant governor had this much focus on the need for
treatment and the need to really make an impact on the substance abuse
problem.

"Not that in the past people haven't helped us, but this is fabulous.
To know that there are 400 people here and thousands more who wanted
to come who really want to help with the problem, I think this is
really monumental."

Earlier yesterday Charles Curie, administrator of the federal
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, presented
Aiona with a $3.6 million grant over five years to treat people with
both substance abuse and mental disorders. The grant will provide $1
million in each of the first three years, $500,000 in the fourth year,
and $100,000 in the last year.

Curie commended summit participants and the Lingle administration for
addressing Hawai'i's drug abuse problems.

"Take advantage of this opportunity," he said. "I think you're just on
the cusp of some tremendous things."

Participants plan strategy to fight substance abuse

Summit participants broke into 11 groups, with each focusing on one of
seven issues: coordinated efforts, treatment access, legal changes,
treatment philosophy, centralizing body, multi-sector collaboration
and community. Here are the some of the final recommendations from
those sessions:

COORDINATION AND FOLLOW UP

=95 Create a Hawaii Substance Abuse Commission to, among other
responsibilities, ensure collaboration and cooperation between
stakeholders.

=95 Appoint a temporary director to follow up with summit
recommendations; establish an executive branch level office or body.

DRUG TREATMENT

=95 "Ensure adequate funding and services from public and private
sources to provide a full continuum of comprehensive, appropriate,
effective and efficient substance abuse disorder treatment to all
people who want/need services without discrimination."

=95 Effective treatment approach that includes a "person-centered"
model, diverse services and adequate financial support. Increased
money could come from asset-forfeiture, parity for drug treatment,
dedicated grant writer, and private sector initiatives.

LAW ENFORCEMENT

=95 Refine domestic abuse laws, enact laws to allow parents to guide
their children's behavior, and review and enact laws regarding
wiretaps and search and seizures, effective police tools and mandatory
treatment.

=95 "Provide law enforcement with the laws and means necessary to arrest
and prosecute drug dealers; and provide judges with the laws and means
for appropriate sentencing of drug dealers and users, consistent with
civil liberties."

COMMUNITIES

=95 "We the communities of Hawai'i, in the spirit of aloha, will be
equal voices and partners in designing, developing and deciding
strategies, resources and systems of allocation to attain and sustain
all our agreed upon goals."

=95 Create and develop community action groups/summits to mobilize
resources that will foster and support safe and healthy 'ohana units.