Hawaii Crystal Methamphetamine issue

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Hawaii Crystal Methamphetamine issue

The number of Crystal Methamphetamine-related deaths has doubled on Oahu in the five years preceding 2005. The ice death count is headed even higher in 2005, 68 people have died on Oahu from crystal meth in 2004.

Crystal Methamphetamine-Related Deaths in Hawaii [1]:
- 2006 - 52 deaths [2]
- 2005 - 87 deaths [3]
- 2004 - 67 deaths [4]
- 2003 - 56 deaths
- 2002 - 62 deaths
- 2001 - 54 deaths
- 2000 - 35 deaths
- 1999 - 34 deaths [5]
- 1998 - 27 deaths [6]
- 1997 - 36 deaths [7]
- 1996 - 23 deaths [8]

U.S. Attorney Ed Kubo estimates that in 2006, 30,000 Hawaii residents are meth users. [9]

In a Star-Bulletin article, dated June 5, 2005 and entitled, ‘Meth mouth’ rises -- Drug use promotes tooth decay and dentists see a growing number of isle patients whose teeth have rotted beyond repair, the impact of meth use and tooth decay are reported:

The toxic, acidic ingredients that make up crystal methamphetamine cause a condition known as "meth mouth," characterized by rampant tooth decay, gum disease and cracks in teeth.

Hawaii prisons are seeing many cases of rotting teeth caused by "ice" use, but dentists say it's a communitywide problem. They have teen patients with teeth destroyed by drug abuse.

"Some people, just so many teeth are invasively involved, all that's left is to extract them all and give them dentures," said Dr. John French at the Queen's Medical Center dental clinic.

In 2004, 20 clandestine labs were seized in Hawaii, up from three labs in 2003 and 10 labs in 2002, according the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency. [10]

Hawaii's major source for about a decade beginning in the mid-1980s were countries in Asia. In 1985, when police officers first started detecting meth, it came from Korea and the Philippines, and Asian gangs controlled its distribution locally.

In 1995, Hawaii's main source for meth shifted from Asia to the West Coast and Mexico. At the time, Hawaii law enforcement cracked down on Asian gangs, dismantling many and destroying distribution channels.

It is estimated that more than 80 percent of the methamphetamine consumed in Hawaii is brought in from the West Coast. The drug, which is mostly controlled Mexican cartels, has been manufactured either in "super-labs" in the Central Valley of California or in Mexico.

The use of crystal meth peaked in Hawaii in 1997, then declined for two years before sharply rising again. Hawaii has the worst crystal meth problem in the country, according to federal statistics as of 2002: 40 percent of people arrested by police in Honolulu tested positive for methamphetamine use, according to a Justice Department report. No other city came close to 30 percent.

A federal grant that helps Hawaii authorities combat methamphetamine use was cut by two-thirds under a bill that Congress completed in November 2005. Hawaii was allocated $2 million for its methamphetamine response program, a decrease from the $6 million it received last year and $4.5 million granted in fiscal year 2004. [11]

In October 2006, a new Hawaii law took effect that limits the amount of pseudoephedrine that can be sold without a prescription to 3.6 grams per day per person or no more than 9 grams or three packages within 30 days. Pseudoephedrine is found in cold medicine and decongestants such as Sudafed. Under the law, products containing pseudoephedrine must be sold from a secure area, such as behind a pharmacy counter or in a locked display case. Those buying products containing pseudoephedrine must show identification and sign for the purchases. [12]

In a Honolulu Advertiser article dated January 8, 2007, Peter Boylan reported:

Now, the word is out that possession of more than 50 grams of methamphetamine, its salts or its isomers will result in a mandatory minimum of 10 years in federal prison.

According to police, 71 pounds of ice were seized and 413 arrests were made on O'ahu from January to November last year. Those numbers are down from the 188 pounds seized and 719 arrests made in 2005.

Drug smugglers and distributors who once imported and sold ice in the state are turning to cocaine, officials said.

Law enforcement officials credit a collaborative effort and a greater awareness on the part of the community for the downturn in ice arrests but caution that the potency of the drug in the Islands is still very high. [13]