ON THE BEAT NO. 29

Q: Recently there have been several articles in the newspapers about
marijuana. The first was in the Honolulu Advertiser on May 25, "War on
marijuana a waste of time, money," and then the next day there was an
opinion in The Garden Island, "Alcohol vs. marijuana," but the worst one
was The Garden Island editorial on May 31, "Red light for Green Harvest."
Then just the other day, "Don't fear the reefer." It seems as though you
guys are being blasted from all angles for doing your job.

It also seems to me that the stupid editorial by The Garden Island didn't
help matters any. I supposed we should just let all the druggies take
over. Sorry about my rant, but I'm just frustrated. Well, I want to get it
from the horse's mouth, where do you stand on this?

Greg, Kalaheo

A: I certainly understand your frustration, as I have experienced those
same feelings throughout my police career. The comments and criticism
don't change just the faces and names who believe that they know better.

I too was disappointed with The Garden Island's editorial "Red light for
Green Harvest," but I would not call the article "stupid," because it
raised valid points. However, in my opinion, I do agree that it sent the
wrong message to our community. First of all, law enforcement efforts are
an important part of the strategic trilogy to reduce demand. The other
parts are prevention and education. Under the prevention umbrella,
treatment and after-care programs are critical in the war against drugs.

But does spending $27,000 of federal taxpayers' hard-earned money justify
pulling just 75 plants on our most recent marijuana eradication mission.
The honest answer is that the impact is very negligible when compared to
the larger picture. But when we look closer at the individual toll, the
picture becomes much clearer.

Drugs destroy families, whether it's marijuana, crystal methamphetamine,
cocaine, ecstasy, or alcohol. Do we stop eradicating marijuana because the
numbers were low on this mission? That is exactly what commercial growers
would want so that they could continue to sell dope to your children. Or,
do we continue in our efforts? Remember that in prior missions we
eradicated thousands of marijuana plants that did not find there way into
homes and the brain cells of individuals cruising the same highways as you
do. However, I would concede that we must find a better solution and not
strictly rely on law enforcement.

If there is anywhere we have fallen short, it is in the treatment arena.
Not enough is being done. Only 1 in 10 addicts receive some kind of
treatment, the rest are turned away, and of those who are turned away, the
vast majority has some kind of mental health issues in addition to their
addiction.

We have not lost the war on drugs and it is not a failed policy, but we do
need to reassess our long-term strategic plan and lean more toward a
holistic approach.

I also disagree with the suggestion that the citizens on the Big Island
got it right by deprioritizing marijuana and not accepting federal funds
to conduct eradication missions. I can only imagine the negative impact
this decision will have in the long-term.

Fortunately, the Drug Enforcement Administration will continue its efforts
with the assistance of county police. If DEA did not step in, there
certainly will be marijuana fields in remote areas like our national
parks, and you can be sure that it would find its way to Kaua'i and into
the mainstream. So again, is spending $27,000 on 75 marijuana plants worth
the cost? Only you can answer that question. To the bean counters,
probably not, but for those who care about the future of our community, it
was worth every penny.

The Garden Island brings to light the complexity of the problem; that the
county and/or the law enforcement arm should have more discretionary use
of the funds, and for that, I respect their honesty and sincerity, but I
strongly disagree with their solution and conclusions.

Graduation Congratulations

On another note, I want to congratulate all of our graduates for making it
this far. I also hope that you participate in Project Graduation. We will
have security by assigning two officers at each high school.

But I also want to caution our graduates to be careful and not drink and
drive. KPD will be stepping up our enforcement efforts this weekend by
focusing on DUI apprehensions augmented with road blocks at selected
locations. Have a safe weekend.