MARIJUANA ADVOCATE SUES COUNTY COUNCIL

Six Hawai'i County Council members have been sued for allegedly violating
the county's charter by continuing to fail to do a review of the county's
marijuana enforcement program.

Roger Christie, a longtime marijuana advocate who filed the lawsuit
Wednesday, had previously won part of a $75,000 out-of-court settlement for
allegedly illegal enforcement actions.

The lawsuit named as defendants County Council Chairman Jimmy Arakaki and
members Aaron Chung, Leningrad Elarionoff, Bobby Jean Leithead-Todd, Gary
Safarik and Dominic Yagong. All are Democrats, except for Republican
Elarionoff. He and Safarik are former police officers.

Christie is acting as his own attorney in the dispute.

Christie and others took the council to court in the past for allegedly not
meeting the charter provisions that require audits of certain programs
every four years.

No audit has been done with the marijuana eradication program, which
involves federal money and use of helicopters.

Police opponents say an audit would show graft and waste in the program,
which is conducted under a joint agreement between the county police vice
squad and the federal Drug Enforcement Administration.

This suit did not involve Jonathan Adler of Puna, who is now running for
governor, or Aaron Anderson, who with Christie received the out-! of-court
settlement from the council in August 2001.

Adler said yesterday he expected follow-up action to seek removal of the
council members for knowingly violating the charter. Earlier efforts to
impeach a former mayor and a majority of the council were denied by Big
Island Circuit Judge Riki May Amano.