HAWAI'I MUST ACT NOW TO HALT ICE'S DEATH GRIP

Hawai'i must wake up and do something to stop the death grip that crystal
methamphetamine has on our children.

We cannot afford to be in denial about the effects ice has on all of our
lives. The longer we wait to act on real solutions, the more victims we'll
have, the more people will be affected by this drug.

Ice is so addictive and so hard to quit that it requires a different
approach in fighting it. Anyone who doesn't think ice affects all of us
should look at the violent crimes, thefts, domestic abuse, broken families
and babies that are born addicted. It's heartbreaking to think of the number
of lives this drug has taken its toll on.

We can't continue spending millions of dollars on tourism only to have
people come and be assaulted and robbed. Every day, tourists and locals
alike enjoy our beautiful beaches only to find when leaving that their cars
were vandalized or valuables stolen.

Let us look to what other states are doing to stop this plague and act now.
Do we need to set up special drug courts designed to handle the flood of
cases caused by drug users? Do we need separate correctional facilities to
rehabilitate? Do we need to integrate prevention programs into our schools?

The violence and devastation this white plague has caused tells us only that
we must act now to stop this hold it has on Hawai'i.

Jody Green

Waimanalo