'GREEN HARVEST' FUNDS CUT

Council Votes Not to Budget for Controversial Marijuana Eradication
Project This Year

The Police Department's 29-year-old program of renting helicopters to
find and remove illegal marijuana plants isn't getting any more money.

The County Council voted unanimously Friday to adopt an operating
budget that has no controversial "Green Harvest" eradication funding.

The vote came after lawmakers listened to more than five hours of
comments from people saying the noisy aircraft, and anti-pot efforts,
are ruining their quality of life.

Lawmakers decided complaints of frightened livestock, privacy
intrusions and alleged police harassment outweigh the benefits of
accepting $582,000 in federal "Green Harvest" money. Police sought
the grants to pay for the program through the fiscal year ending June 30, 2008.

Council members last month tentatively deleted the anticipated grant
money from the county's $368.7 million operating budget. A second and
final vote was scheduled Friday, prompting more than 70 mostly
pro-marijuana advocates to stuff the council's Hilo meeting room and
sign up for another chance to sound off on how bad the program is.

Following a lunch break, Chairman Pete Hoffmann announced to the
standing-room-only audience that although the money could be
reinstated, no proposal to do so had been introduced. Council rules
require proposed amendments to be made in writing and distributed to
all members before a vote is taken.

"There isn't anything here," Hoffmann told the audience. "So, I don't
know why the hell you're here."

One woman shouted back that if members of the public were assured the
"Green Harvest" grants would be rejected, "everybody would just get up and go."

Hoffmann, who last month voted to continue the program, said he
couldn't make that guarantee.

"I don't think we need to hear from you again," he said.

A retired U.S. Army colonel, Hoffmann added that he spent 28 years
protecting the public's right to testify.

"I salute your effort to be here and to make those statements," he said.

But one comment from "Green Harvest" opponent Randy McDowell upset
Hamakua Councilman Dominic Yagong, who last month withdrew his
support of the program and cast the swing vote against it.

Wearing a shirt depicting marijuana leaves and a hat with the words
"Just Say Mo" printed over a pot leaf, McDowell accused Yagong of
laughing when an earlier speaker threatened to vote the council
members out of office. Apparently, Yagong was more upset by
McDowell's expression, which went unseen by the audience since his
back was turned.

"Please watch the way you look at me," Yagong said.

McDowell apologized multiple times as Yagong removed his sport coat
and appeared to be very angry. Yagong did not accept his apology, but
Hoffmann did.

Not all of the speakers were against "Green Harvest" raids.

County Prosecutor Jay Kimura urged council members to continue
accepting the "Green Harvest" grants. If the county turns down the
money, it will lose control of the program that will be shifted to
the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency, he said.

"It could lead to more drugs in our community if Green Harvest is
stopped," Kimura said.

While speaker after speaker said marijuana has medical, religious or
recreational benefits, Jon DesPacio was not among them.

"I'm not a user. I'm not a grower. I'm not a distributor," the
Kalapana mango farmer said.

DesPacio said he even wishes police would step up efforts to
eradicate marijuana, just not with the aid of helicopters.

"Sometimes it's a little abrupt in the morning to take your coffee
(while being) interrupted with two guys rappelling from a helicopter,
trying to come through my place with all the tact of a diesel truck," he said.

Lawmakers, along with people on both sides of the aerial-eradication
debate, will likely have at least one more chance to weigh in on the
funding issue for next fiscal year.

That's because police administrators are expected in the coming
months to ask the council for permission to accept the money, should
the federal government approve the Police Department's grant requests.

Lawmakers on Friday said no to up-front acceptance, yet could change
their minds once the money actually becomes available.

The council must vote to receive gifts, be it money or park benches,
before they may become county property.