LIHU‘E — Leaders from the community gathered Thursday for the purpose of revising the county’s five-year master drug plan during the 2012 Drug Summit at the Kaua‘i Marriott Resort and Beach Club. “We have about 150 people here, including teams
LIHU‘E — Leaders from the community gathered Thursday for the purpose of revising the county’s five-year master drug plan during the 2012 Drug Summit at the Kaua‘i Marriott Resort and Beach Club.
“We have about 150 people here, including teams from the Department of Education, community organizations, the County of Kaua‘i and the Judiciary to work on the plan,” said Bridget Arume of the Department of Education.
Gary Heu, representing Mayor Bernard Carvalho, Jr., who was out of town, said the theme of E Ho‘omau ka ‘Ike, or “Continue the Awareness, Learning, Vision,” was most appropriate since the start of the program in 2003.
“This is a journey from when the drug awareness program started in 2003,” Heu said. “The world has changed considerably since then, and life has changed in 10 years.”
He said there is constant adjustments and constant awareness, but sometimes progress is slow.
“Using the four-pronged approach of prevention, enforcement, treatment and community integration, we have 150 people here, each as an individual and collectively, to make an impact on building strong families,” Heu said.
He also expressed Sen. Daniel Inouye’s sentiments on the summit, noting drug abuse affects all facets of the community, and after nine years, the people of Kaua‘i no longer tolerates substance abuse.
Under the four-pronged approach, the prevention committee serves as a central body to reduce and prevent drug abuse on the island through awareness, education and action.
Lori Ferreira, Stategic Prevention Framework State Incentive Grant Project Manager of the Alcohol and Drug Abuse Division for the State of Hawai‘i, led the discussion group on the problem of abuse of illicit drugs, alcohol and tobacco throughout the state.
Kaua‘i has the youngest mean age of first use of alcohol at 11.9, citing a 2008 Hawai‘i Epidemiological Profile for Substance Abuse Prevention graphic in the SPF-SIG Project Overview. Expanding on that 11.9 years old as first use of alcohol compared with 12.0 for the Big Island, 12.3 for Honolulu and 12.1 for Maui and an average 12.2 years for the state, Kaua‘i’s sixth grade students had the highest incidence of “past 30-day use of alcohol” at 6.6 percent, compared with 6.2 percent for the Big Island, 3.1 percent for Honolulu, 4.3 percent for Maui and 3.9 percent for the state.
The numbers reverse for 12th grade students of “past 30-day use of alcohol,” where Kaua‘i is the lowest at 26.2 percent while the Big Island soars to 49.8 percent, Honolulu at 33 percent and Maui at 42.5 percent and the state average at 36.3 percent.
The State of Hawai‘i Department of Health Alcohol and Substance Abuse Division leads the state’s efforts in building a comprehensive prevention infrastructure, which supports communities like Kaua‘i to take action to promote emotional health and reduce the likelihood of substance abuse and mental illness.
“We wanted to make sure the community had representatives at this summit,” Arume said. “We have representation from the South Shore and the North Shore, so no one is left out.”
U.S. Attorney Florence Nakakuni and Intelligence Officer Wesley Wong led the enforcement discussions, which spans a range of complex issues and existing policies and laws regulating the use of drugs and alcohol.
The discussion also shares information regarding issues with the latest drug trends and incidences involving drugs, such as spice and bath salts, while sharing education regarding medical marijuana laws, the use of firearms and organized crime.
Dr. Deborah Kissinger set the pace for the treatment and community integration teams, who focus on coordinating affordable and effective drug treatment and aftercare services on Kaua‘i.
Kissinger updated the teams on the National Treatment Trends and where the island is in relation to the nation, adding information on the length of stay needs for patients versus approved medical insurance coverage.
Rebecca Smith, former SPF-SIG project manager for Kaua‘i and now with the DOE, said the findings of the 2012 Drug Summit will be used to help revise the county’s five-year drug plan.
