TESTS, ARRESTS HINT AT RISE IN DRUG USE

Lab Businesses That Screen Job Applicants And Workers Have Seen Recent
Increases

A jump in methamphetamine-related arrests on Oahu and a significant
increase in positive results in workplace drug tests statewide suggest
a surge in meth use -- even by people trying to find jobs in Hawaii's
struggling economy.

The state's largest drug-testing firm, Diagnostic Laboratory Services,
released data for the second quarter of 2010 showing a steady rise in
positive tests for amphetamines this year -- and a 70 percent increase
compared with the second quarter of 2009, from 0.7 percent of people
tested to 1.2 percent.

Perhaps the most alarming statistic is that 70 percent of the positive
hits came from job seekers for pre-employment drug screening, said
Carl Linden, Diagnostic Laboratory's scientific director for
toxicology. The rest were employees being randomly tested.

"'Ice' hasn't gone away," Linden said. "In fact, it looks like it's
resurfacing a little bit."

Honolulu police arrests also suggest an increase in
methamphetamine-related crimes.

Arrests for methamphetamine-related offenses steadily dropped from 719
in 2005 to 277 through 2008, according to HPD arrest data.

After meth-related arrests rose to 289 last year, the number jumped to
170 for the first five months of 2010 -- setting a pace that could
exceed last year's arrests.

In the courts, one of the latest, large-scale meth cases indicative of
the longtime presence of the drug in the islands involved Carlos
Martinez of Mexicali, Mexico. He was sentenced Wednesday in federal
court in Honolulu to 16 years and four months for his role as the
leader of a trafficking organization that shipped multiple pounds of
methamphetamine from Mexico and California to Hawaii in 2005.

Martinez, 40, had fled to Canada but was extradited and prosecuted
along with 11 others in his organization.

Diagnostic Laboratory's competitor, Clinical Laboratories of Hawaii,
also has seen an increase in amphetamine use in workplace drug
testing, Matthew S. Respicio, Clinical Laboratories' toxicology
account representative, wrote in an e-mail. Respicio said he could not
immediately provide specific data, but said the increase is not as
large as that found by Diagnostic Laboratory.

Since crystal methamphetamine -- amphetamine that is smoked -- usually
can be detected in the human body for one to four days, that means an
increasing number of job candidates could not stay away from "ice" for
even a week, Linden said.

"That's alarming when you think about it," Linden said. "The ice use
trend is definitely continuing. With most applicants aware there's a
high probability they'll be drug-tested, it's surprising that you get
any positives. So actual usage is probably greater."

People who track ice use in the islands caution that data on arrests
and positive drug tests can be influenced by a variety of factors,
including increased law enforcement and street prices, which currently
run between $1,800 to $3,000 per ounce on Oahu, according to police.

For instance, 40.9 percent of adults admitted to state-funded
treatment centers cited crystal meth as their drug of choice in fiscal
year 2007-08. The following fiscal year, the percentage jumped to 45.5
percent.

The increase may have been encouraged by a $2.75 million federal grant
first awarded to Hawaii in 2008. The grant continues to help people
get meth treatment and stay in treatment by providing them with
transportation and housing services, said Keith Yamamoto, chief of the
state Health Department's Alcohol and Drug Abuse Division.

But whatever forces are driving up meth numbers, the economy seems to
be a likely factor.

"Whenever we have difficult economic times -- higher unemployment,
higher levels of housing foreclosures and people with less resources
and people who have to work multiple jobs to make ends meet -- that's
a lot of social pressure," Yamamoto said. "When people are under
greater social pressures, one of the way people cope is through the
use of alcohol and drugs. ... This is a time when we need to increase
services in the community because there are not as many resources available."

The most recent statistics -- especially the workplace drug test data
- -- come despite a tight job market, with Hawaii's seasonally adjusted
June unemployment rate of 6.3 percent, said Beth Busch, who produces
the state's largest job fairs.

It has always mystified Busch that job candidates would take
pre-employment drug tests knowing they had smoked ice in the past few
days.

"It's not a secret how long it stays in your system, and it's not a
secret that you're likely to be drug-tested," Busch said. "But there
is clearly a lot of stress in this economy."

Most people who smoke the highly addictive ice simply cannot resist,
even with a job at stake, said Cindy Adams, executive director of the
Hawaii Meth Project.

"With so many people looking for jobs right now," she said, "there is
a level of desperation, and people just can't take themselves off of
it."

So the Meth Project's "Not Even Once" ad campaign to young people has
even more significance in a staggering economy, Adams said.

"They're the next group entering the work force, and we really need to
reinforce prevention," she said.

Drug-using employees have higher rates of absenteeism and on-the-job
accidents, which lead to additional costs for drug testing,
productivity and insurance. But Hawaii employers realize that ice use
exacts an even higher cost, said Jim Tollefson, president and CEO of
the Chamber of Commerce of Hawaii.

"Crystal meth use is an ongoing concern of the business community that
goes beyond dollars and cents," Tollefson said. "It affects the social
fabric of the state, and it's a sad commentary. We need to get our
arms around it and turn it around."