CHANGE MARIJUANA ERADICATION POLICY

Editor:

Thank you for printing the AP story, "Hawaii has worst crystal meth problem"
in the U.S. and for mentioning that the Big Island has the worst of it in
Hawaii. The Associated Press, U.S. Attorney Ed Kubo and you tell it like it
is - almost.

The worst human tragedy in Hawaii history did not "just happen." It was
thought-up, debated, approved and caused by an artificial social policy
known as the "marijuana eradication program." A program which continues this
very day. It is a monumental failure and now I want to know exactly,
specifically - who is responsible, who is accountable, and who is liable for
the damage done by this taxpayer-funded program? We were forced to pay for
this debacle and suffer the loss of civil liberties, for what? For turning
pot smokers into ice smokers. What a screw-up.

A federal government study done in 1991-1994 on the causes of the "ice"
epidemic in Hawaii concluded, "...ice replaced marijuana which had become
scarce and expensive due to eradication policies. Residents were pushed away
from pakalolo, their staple drug of choice...."

"Also very importantly, many locals derived either all or part of their
livelihood from marijuana production. Robbed of this needed income many
experienced considerable economic hardship." ("Robbed")

"Successful periodic campaigns designed to eliminate this 'evil' herb, serve
to steer the user to more dangerous substances. Findings demonstrate that
the latest version of the American campaign against marijuana continues to
have the same unfortunate consequences." See www.thc-ministry.org for
details.

The damning study has since been removed from the official National
Institute of Drug Abuse website. I know why. It's for the same reason that
our elected county officials refuse to obey county law and order a
"mandatory program review" of the marijuana eradication program. The results
will be too damning for them to bear. They want zero responsibility, zero
accountability and zero liability for themselves, and they want to be
re-elected. Some nerve.

It's high time for you, the media, the university, the East West Center,
drug treatment providers, law makers, ministers, law enforcers and all
citizens and policy makers to "get it"; marijuana eradication caused the
conditions for the ice epidemic. Stop the damn program now.

Common sense says, turn-off the faucet first, then reach for the "mop and
bucket" to clean-up the damage. Up until now, all we've heard from
"officials" are proposals for more (expensive) mops and buckets, mostly
coming from those who stand to make their salary and benefits on each "mop
and bucket" sold to a gullible public. Enough.

If you have not done so yet, please change your mind about marijuana
prohibition immediately. Then call 961-8225 and demand that your county
council member votes to approve of stopping the marijuana eradication
program at its next Finance Committee meeting on Nov. 7. It's going to feel
so good once it's finally over.

Roger Christie

Hilo