ICE EPIDEMIC

The use, manufacture and distribution of crystal methamphetamine, a drug
with the street name "ice," is continuing to be a major root cause of crime
on Kaua'i. Ice addicts are stealing to support their habit, are dangerous
to other drivers on our roads, and their crimes are filling up our jail as
they steal from businesses, homes and individuals.

The latest twist to this curse on the Island is the discovery of small labs
used to turn the powder form of methamphetamine into a crystal form. All it
takes is some common chemicals easily available on Kaua'i or in any other
community. Many of the labs might be in rural areas, and hard to detect by
our law officers. Kauai Police Department officers say a strong smell of
acetone, which smells like nail polish remover, is a sign that a crystal
lab might be in operation. Outside of beauty parlors and surfboard
factories the chemical isn't commonly used in quantity here. The KPD relies
on tips from citizens for help in ferreting out these labs and thus helping
to curb this drug epidemic. The nature of addiction to crack makes this a
thankless job for our law officers who must deal one-on-one with these
criminals. Support is needed from the community for the KPD and other law
enforcement agencies involved in this anti-ice work so that one day ice
will no longer be a common drug on Kaua'i.