U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE

68–506 DTP WASHINGTON : 2001

RESPONDING TO DRUG CHALLENGES IN HAWAII

HEARING

BEFORE THE

SUBCOMMITTEE ON CRIMINAL JUSTICE,

DRUG POLICY, AND HUMAN RESOURCES

OF THE

COMMITTEE ON

GOVERNMENT REFORM

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

ONE HUNDRED SIXTH CONGRESS

SECOND SESSION

MARCH 20, 2000

Serial No. 106–173

Printed for the use of the Committee on Government Reform

(

Available via the World Wide Web: http://www.gpo.gov/congress/house

http://www.house.gov/reform

For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office

Internet: bookstore.gpo.gov Phone: (202) 512–1800 Fax: (202) 512–2250

Mail: Stop SSOP, Washington, DC 20402–0001

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COMMITTEE ON GOVERNMENT REFORM

DAN BURTON, Indiana, Chairman

BENJAMIN A. GILMAN, New York

CONSTANCE A. MORELLA, Maryland

CHRISTOPHER SHAYS, Connecticut

ILEANA ROS-LEHTINEN, Florida

JOHN M. MCHUGH, New York

STEPHEN HORN, California

JOHN L. MICA, Florida

THOMAS M. DAVIS, Virginia

DAVID M. MCINTOSH, Indiana

MARK E. SOUDER, Indiana

JOE SCARBOROUGH, Florida

STEVEN C. LATOURETTE, Ohio

MARSHALL ‘‘MARK’’ SANFORD, South

Carolina

BOB BARR, Georgia

DAN MILLER, Florida

ASA HUTCHINSON, Arkansas

LEE TERRY, Nebraska

JUDY BIGGERT, Illinois

GREG WALDEN, Oregon

DOUG OSE, California

PAUL RYAN, Wisconsin

HELEN CHENOWETH-HAGE, Idaho

DAVID VITTER, Louisiana

HENRY A. WAXMAN, California

TOM LANTOS, California

ROBERT E. WISE, JR., West Virginia

MAJOR R. OWENS, New York

EDOLPHUS TOWNS, New York

PAUL E. KANJORSKI, Pennsylvania

PATSY T. MINK, Hawaii

CAROLYN B. MALONEY, New York

ELEANOR HOLMES NORTON, Washington,

DC

CHAKA FATTAH, Pennsylvania

ELIJAH E. CUMMINGS, Maryland

DENNIS J. KUCINICH, Ohio

ROD R. BLAGOJEVICH, Illinois

DANNY K. DAVIS, Illinois

JOHN F. TIERNEY, Massachusetts

JIM TURNER, Texas

THOMAS H. ALLEN, Maine

HAROLD E. FORD, JR., Tennessee

JANICE D. SCHAKOWSKY, Illinois

———

BERNARD SANDERS, Vermont

(Independent)

KEVIN BINGER, Staff Director

DANIEL R. MOLL, Deputy Staff Director

DAVID A. KASS, Deputy Counsel and Parliamentarian

LISA SMITH ARAFUNE, Chief Clerk

PHIL SCHILIRO, Minority Staff Director

SUBCOMMITTEE ON CRIMINAL JUSTICE, DRUG POLICY, AND HUMAN RESOURCES

JOHN L. MICA, Florida, Chairman

BOB BARR, Georgia

BENJAMIN A. GILMAN, New York

CHRISTOPHER SHAYS, Connecticut

ILEANA ROS-LEHTINEN, Florida

MARK E. SOUDER, Indiana

STEVEN C. LATOURETTE, Ohio

ASA HUTCHINSON, Arkansas

DOUG OSE, California

DAVID VITTER, Louisiana

PATSY T. MINK, Hawaii

EDOLPHUS TOWNS, New York

ELIJAH E. CUMMINGS, Maryland

DENNIS J. KUCINICH, Ohio

ROD R. BLAGOJEVICH, Illinois

JOHN F. TIERNEY, Massachusetts

JIM TURNER, Texas

JANICE D. SCHAKOWSKY, Illinois

EX OFFICIO

DAN BURTON, Indiana HENRY A. WAXMAN, California

SHARON PINKERTON, Staff Director and Chief Counsel

KEVIN LONG, Professional Staff Member

LISA WANDLER, Clerk

CHERRI BRANSON, Minority Counsel

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C O N T E N T S

Page

Hearing held on March 20, 2000 ............................................................................ 1

Statement of:

Alm, Steven S., U.S. attorney .......................................................................... 6

Anderson, Dr. Bruce, director, State of Hawaii Department of Education . 46

Aycox, Nat, Port Director, U.S. Customs Service .......................................... 80

Cunningham, Sara, Hawaii State Student Council ....................................... 161

Dowsett, Major Susan, Narcotics/Vice Division, Honolulu Police Department ............................................................................................................... 71

Hamamoto, Patricia, deputy superintendent, State of Hawaii Department

of Education ................................................................................................... 40

Leonhart, Michele M., Special Agent in Charge, Los Angeles Field Division, Drug Enforcement Administration ..................................................... 86

Sakai, Ted, director, State of Hawaii Public Safety Deparment .................. 74

Taketa, Chris, Hawaii State Student Council ................................................ 166

Tom, Randall, counterdrug coordinator, Hawaii National Guard ................ 99

Letters, statements, etc., submitted for the record by:

Alm, Steven S., U.S. attorney, prepared statement of .................................. 9

Anderson, Dr. Bruce, director, State of Hawaii Department of Education,

prepared statement of ................................................................................... 50

Aycox, Nat, Port Director, U.S. Customs Service, prepared statement

of ..................................................................................................................... 83

Cunningham, Sara, Hawaii State Student Council, prepared statement

of ..................................................................................................................... 164

Dowsett, Major Susan, Narcotics/Vice Division, Honolulu Police Department, prepared statement of ........................................................................ 72

LeMahieu, Paul G., Ph.D., superintendent od education, Hawaii Department of Education, prepared statement of ................................................. 43

Leonhart, Michele M., Special Agent in Charge, Los Angeles Field Division, Drug Enforcement Administration, prepared statement of .............. 90

Mica, Hon. John L., a Representative in Congress from the State of

Florida, prepared statement of .................................................................... 4

Mink, Hon. Patsy T., a Representative in Congress from the State of

Hawaii:

Information concerning drug articles ...................................................... 111

Report from the National Guard .............................................................. 131

Sakai, Ted, director, State of Hawaii Public Safety Deparment, prepared

statement of ................................................................................................... 77

Taketa, Chris, Hawaii State Student Council, prepared statement of ........ 168

Tom, Randall, counterdrug coordinator, Hawaii National Guard ................ 102

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RESPONDING TO DRUG CHALLENGES IN

HAWAII

MONDAY, MARCH 20, 2000

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,

SUBCOMMITTEE ON CRIMINAL JUSTICE, DRUG POLICY,

AND HUMAN RESOURCES,

COMMITTEE ON GOVERNMENT REFORM,

Honolulu, HI.

The subcommittee met, pursuant to notice, at 9 a.m., at the

Kupono Courtroom, 4th Floor, Federal Courthouse Building, 300

Ala Moana Boulevard, Honolulu, HI, Hon. John L. Mica (chairman

of the subcommittee) presiding.

Present: Representatives Mica and Mink.

Staff present: Sharon Pinkerton, staff director and chief counsel;

Lisa Wandler, clerk; and Cherri Branson, minority counsel.

Mr. MICA. This hearing will come to order.

Our subcommittee is conducting this oversight field hearing as

part of our need to understand fully the Nation’s drug crisis, how

it impacts different parts of our Nation, and what effective drugcontrol efforts are under way and should be fully supported. Today,

we will learn about Federal, State, and local efforts to respond to

the drug challenges in Hawaii. Since Hawaii is uniquely located

and a destination which attracts millions of people and goods, this

State is a logical transit point for illegal narcotics and has become

one of our most vulnerable and challenging regions in America for

our law enforcement officials.

We are privileged to have with us today a congressional leader

who strongly supports efforts to stop the flow of drugs into the

United States and to protect our communities from the ravages

they cause. I know that Mrs. Mink, the ranking member who invited us to her congressional district here in beautiful Honolulu,

has been very active helping this region deal with issues of drug

prevention and treatment and national and international drug control. I recognize that she is the resident expert on the needs and

concerns of citizens throughout this area and an important force in

fashioning Federal, State, and local solutions.

I wish to thank all the participants for their presence here today

and for their dedication to this issue of critical importance across

America.

We are honored to have testifying before us today a number of

Federal, regional, and local officials who are engaged in responding

to the drug crisis and its terrible consequences. These officials

serve on the front line, apprehending and prosecuting drug producVerDate 11-MAY-2000 12:53 Apr 03, 2001 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6633 C:\DOCS\68506.TXT HGOVREF1 PsN: HGOVREF1
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ers and traffickers, and counseling those whose lives have been impacted by drugs and are in need of our support and assistance.

This subcommittee is particularly interested in how communities

and regions are dealing with critical responsibilities of successfully

implementing our national, not just Federal, drug control strategy.

After all, most law enforcement and treatment activities are primarily State and local responsibilities. However, because of Hawaii’s geographical uniqueness, your community has special needs

and concerns, such as trade and transit issues. In Congress, we

want to ensure that the Federal Government is doing everything

possible to assist you, both in reducing the supply of drugs in communities, as well as the demand for drugs.

At a recent hearing of this subcommittee, we learned that estimates of Americans in need of drug treatment range from 4.4 to

8.9 million; yet less than 2 million people reportedly receive treatment. This ‘‘gap’’ must be addressed. Our subcommittee will continue its oversight in this area and seek to improve our Federal

programs that support State and local drug treatment and prevention efforts.

Today, we are focusing on the special challenges and threats facing Hawaii. Illegal drug production, use and trafficking pose special

dangers and challenges to communities in Hawaii, to our schools,

to our law enforcement officials, and to your health care system.

Since Hawaii is in the middle of the Pacific, this region continues

to be a primary transit point for illegal drugs entering this country

and transiting between the continental United States and Asia.

And since Honolulu is a financial center for the Pacific Rim, this

area is probably vulnerable to money laundering activities. In recent years, this area has experienced more demands on its resources than ever before. This demand is expected to increase, not

diminish, in the future.

To help respond to these unique challenges, Hawaii has been

designated by the White House Office of National Drug Control

Policy, ONDCP, as a ‘‘High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area,’’ commonly referred to as HIDTA. HIDTAs are defined as regions in the

United States with serious drug trafficking problems that have a

harmful impact on other areas of the country. The missions

HIDTAs is: ‘‘to enhance and coordinate America’s drug-control efforts among Federal, State, and local agencies in order to eliminate

or reduce drug trafficking, including the production, manufacture,

transportation, distribution, and chronic use of illegal drugs and

money laundering, and its harmful consequences in critical regions

of the United States.’’

Our subcommittee is responsible for authorizing and overseeing

ONDCP and the HIDTA program. Since Hawaii’s HIDTA was only

recently created, we will learn more today about the goals and targeted initiatives of the HIDTA in combating drugs in this area.

I applaud the continuing dedication and professionalism of our

witnesses today and their willingness to share their ideas and

needs with us. I can assure you that this subcommittee and your

Representative here today will do everything we can to assist you

in protecting your loved ones and ridding your comunities of deadly

drugs.

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We all recognize that the drug crisis demands full utilization of

available resources and close cooperation in a comprehensive, regional approach. It is our job in Congress to monitor Federal activities and ensure their success. If obstacles are identified, then we

must move decisively to overcome them. Honolulu and Hawaii and

the rest of our country cannot afford to wait. The drug crisis demands promising approaches and decisive action, and the time to

act is now.

I wish to thank all witnesses for appearing before us today. I

look forward to hearing your testimony on this topic of local, State,

and national importance to our continued drug control efforts.

Mrs. Mink.

[The prepared statement of Hon. John L. Mica follows:]

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[Proceedings were had prior to the following transcription.]

STATEMENT OF STEVEN S. ALM, U.S. ATTORNEY

Mr. ALM. It is a tremendously high risk of fire and the like. More

recently it’s even been racketed up a notch because there have been

findings and arrests involved with scratch lab productions where

methamphetamine itself is being created. That creates an even

higher risk of danger, of explosion.

I think our close geographic quarters here help in some ways, because citizens already are on the alert and have called in to law

enforcement when they’ve seen large supplies of acetone cans or

when they smell odors that sound off to them. And they have called

law enforcement and that’s how some cases have been made.

But I think especially the neighbor islands are going to be in

danger; in fact, that’s where the recent scratch labs have been located, on the neighbor islands where there is even a lower population density. Especially I think the Big Island is in danger of that

kind of a result.

In the late 1980’s we were getting a lot of different ethnic groups

running—in a sense running the ice business. And we were getting

a lot of very high quality ice from the Far East, from Korea, Taiwan, and China.

Since the early 1990’s we are pretty much getting all of the

methamphetamine through domestic sources. And that means from

central and southern California, often Mexican nationals working

in organizations are picking up large batches of it and then the

drugs are being brought over to Hawaii.

Cocaine is probably second to ice in our drug problem. About 30

percent of the Federal indictments are for cocaine, often crack cocaine. There have been a few organizations that have been operating for years that have recently been broken up. Richard Brown

Taumoepeau, also known as ‘‘Tiki,’’ had a group of predominantly

ethnic Tongans who transported large quantities of cocaine, hundreds of kilograms. And as you described earlier, Hawaii in that

case became a transhipment point to sites such as Australia, New

Zealand, Guam and other parts of the Pacific.

We have an emerging black tar heroin problem. As opposed to

China white from Asia, this is Mexican heroin and we often have

illegal aliens from Mexico involved in the distribution. I think this

is another area the neighbor islanders are even having a bigger

problem than folks here on Hawaii with this problem. An Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force investigative group

with the FBI, DEA, INS and all four county police departments is

becoming increasingly successful in this area.

I would like to make the point that I don’t think there is a State

nationally that has better cooperation between all of the law enforcement agencies. I think our small size really lends itself to that

approach. So for example, in the HIDTA program we are able to

bring all of the Federal law enforcement agencies that are involved

in drug investigations, the four county police departments, the

prosecutors are involved, the public safety and their drug program

is involved, the National Guard and the Western States information network. All 16 of us can sit down in a room and work on this

together.

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I think the law enforcement situation in Hawaii is complicated

by the fact that it is—with interdiction being a major problem regarding source of supply, it is virtually impossible to do those interdiction cases in State court. As a result all of those prosecutions

are going into Federal court. There are advantages to this because

of the very strong sentencing guidelines. We are often able to get

cooperation from couriers that are caught at the airport; they face

years in prison and the only way to really work that time down is

to cooperate against co-conspirators. We are able to work cooperatively with the drug enforcement administration and often do

searches of supplier’s houses in short order working with the courts

in California. And frankly that would not be possible in a State

prosecution. At the same time this is a big burden on law enforcement. But I think we’re never going to—I think law enforcement

has become sophisticated enough to realize we’re never going to arrest our way out of the drug problem. Law enforcement is a key

component of that but we also need to emphasize that prevention

and treatment efforts to have a real strong approach to this—I

think the State drug court is a program that’s working real well,

it’s helping people get off of decades-long problems with addiction

in an environment that allows them really to come to grips with

this and proceed in the future. Through the Weed and Seed program that was mentioned, the drug court got a grant for $300,000,

and now dozens of addicts from Kalihi-Palama and by China Town

are working with drug court and doing it that way.

I think our State prison system is another area that is in desperate need of funds. The Department of Public Safety has estimated that more than 80 percent of the inmates have substance

abuse problems and that there is only funding to treat 20 percent

of them. I think the Kash Box program that we saw yesterday is

a real positive program; it’s something that works. Those inmates

were impressive in where they were in their lives and what the future looked for them.

But when we asked them what would really help you folks, they

said a bigger program for Kash Box because there are other folks

at Halawa would who would like to get into the program but there

is no space right now. I know as Hawaii is looking to build a new

State prison, in part to take care of the 1,200 prisoners who are

housed on the mainland, making that prison into an entire drug

treatment facility makes a lot of sense. Kash Box writ large. I

think that would benefit the inmates. It would benefit society. I

think we need to—both prevention—even treatment is a post crime

strategy and it’s late in the game and expensive. So I think there

are a lot of good programs going on. Weed and Seed I think is one

of the ones that we offer. And in that case you have programs set

up to help kids do other things so they are not waiting around,

they are not hanging out having those high-risk after-school hours

so they can get in trouble and encouraging that.

I think at the end of the day Hawaii is going to have to come

to real grips with our ice problem and the destruction it’s causing

our State. And that means everybody. I think public awareness is

getting better, but we still are not employers/employees, students/

retirees, labor unions/small businesses. We have got to get on the

same page so we can send the message to all of our residents that

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drug and alcohol abuse is wrong, that it’s destroying families and

lives. And we need to help to work to keep our kids from getting

involved in that kind of problem to begin with. We’ve got to make

this everybody’s business.

I thank you for the chance to address you today, and I’ll be

happy to answer any questions.

Mr. MICA. Thank you. We will defer questions till we have heard

the other two witnesses.

[The prepared statement of Mr. Alm follows:]

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Mr. MICA. At this time I will recognize Ms. Patrick Hamamoto,

deputy superintendent, the State of Hawaii Department of Education.

Welcome, and you are recognized.

STATEMENT OF PATRICIA HAMAMOTO, DEPUTY SUPERINTENDENT, STATE OF HAWAII DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

Ms. HAMAMOTO. Good morning, Representative Mica, Representative Mink, members and staff of the House Committee on Government Reform, Subcommittee on Criminal Justice, Drug Policy, and

Human Resources, colleagues and guests.

Dr. LeMahieu was unable to be with you this morning and sends

his apologies and regrets. However, we welcome this opportunity to

present testimony before your subcommittee on matters relating to

the drug problem in Hawaii.

1997 Youth Risk Behavior Survey [YRBS] results for Hawaii

high school students indicate modest gains in the number of students: Who have consumed alcohol in the last 30 days; had five or

more drinks on one or more occasion in the past 30 days; ever used

inhalents; ever tried to quit smoking; used smokeless tobacco in the

past 30 days; used smokeless tobacco on school property in the past

30 days.

Although these statistics indicate that we are experiencing some

success, there is need to increase our prevention efforts.

Recent data from the 1999 Hawaii Kids Count Data Book indicate that 72 percent of Hawaii high school students have tried alcohol, 67 percent have tried cigarettes, and 46 percent have tried

marijuana at some point.

When experimentation becomes regular usage, there are serious

impacts to health, educational achievement, personal relationships

and increased potential for violence. Alcohol is a major factor in

half of all homicides, suicides and motor vehicle accidents, these

being the leading causes of death among teenagers.

Nicotine addiction is the most common form of drug addiction

and brings with it a tremendous impact on health care and causes

more serious health problems than all other types of addictions

combined. Over 75 percent of all adult smokers started as teens.

Increased drug use is mirrored by increasing violence, abuse and

neglect. Arrest rates for violent crimes committed by juveniles have

increased from 38 percent from 1990–1997. The increases in methamphetamine use in both adult and adolescent populations have

resulted in increased violence in the home and workplace.

Marijuana remains the drug of choice other than alcohol and tobacco. We continue to see an increase in the number of students

that try marijuana before the age of 13. Departmental statistics indicate that there was a total of 665 incident reports filed in school

year 1998–99 for possession of marijuana, 24 for possession of

drugs other than marijuana, 156 for possession of alcohol or intoxicating compounds, and 209 for possession of drug paraphernalia.

Although these statistics show a decline in drug-related offenses

since 1995, there continues to be a shortage of treatment programs

for adolescents both on and off campus. The 1998 Hawaii student

alcohol and drug use survey indicates that 3 percent of 6th graders,

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10 percent of 8th graders, 22 percent of 10th graders and 29 percent of 12th graders are in need of treatment for some type of substance abuse. This correlates to roughly 16,701 public and private

school students in Hawaii or approximately 16 percent of all students in grades 6 through 12. We need to provide accessible treatment programs and services to these adolescents.

Any amount of drug use in the school or community by adults

or adolescents is unacceptable. The decline in parental involvement, the lack of meaningful and purposeful after-school, especially

for students in the middle schools, and the overall decline of student self-worth are contributors to student alcohol and other drug

use. Given the etiology of this issue, it should come as no surprise

that drug problems beset Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders disproportionately more so. Recognizing this, the Department’s prevention efforts focus on helping students achieve to high

standards and academics and character. Only through achievement

can students take pride in themselves. We recognize that this can

only be achieved in an atmosphere that is conducive to learning

and free of drugs and violence. To this end the Department is concentrating its prevention efforts and funds in primary prevention

strategies and in developing and implementing programs that build

resiliency in students.

At the present time, all public schools in Hawaii and approximately 75 private schools participate in the Safe and Drug-Free

Schools and Communities program. However, we recognize that the

Department of Education cannot fight this battle alone. We have

formed partnerships with other Federal, State and local and private agencies to spread the message and strive to reach the goals

of the Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities program.

These agencies include the: Office of the U.S. Attorney; Office of

the Attorney General; Department of Health; Coalition for a DrugFree Hawaii; Hawaii Medical Service Association; Kamehameha

Schools-Bishop Estate’s Native Hawaiian; Safe and Drug-Free

Schools and Communities Program; and the city and county governments of Kauai, Honolulu, Maui, and Hawaii.

It is through partnerships with these agencies that we have seen

a coordinated effort to achieve common goals. We have reduced to

duplicity of effort and have filled the gaps in services to the extent

possible.

There needs to be a balance between prevention and treatment.

We must provide treatment programs for students that despite our

best prevention efforts manage somehow to become involved in illicit drug use as they get older.

As I am sure you are aware, measuring the impact of prevention

is difficult at best. Research has demonstrated that programs that

are implemented over time are more effective than those that are

‘‘one shot’’ in nature. We are in it for the long haul and will not

rest until our schools and communities are indeed safe and drug

free. Our succusses have begun to indicate the validity of our efforts. However, the Federal support that we have received is what

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has made these efforts possible. They must be maintained and redoubled if we are going to realize satisfactory success in this war.

Thank you for this opportunity to share with you.

Mr. MICA. Thank you for your testimony.

[The prepared statement of Mr. LeMahieu follows:]

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Mr. MICA. I will now recognize Dr. Bruce Anderson, director of

the State of Hawaii Department of Health.

We recognize you.

STATEMENT OF DR. BRUCE ANDERSON, DIRECTOR, STATE OF

HAWAII DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

Mr. ANDERSON. Chairman Mica, Congresswoman Mink——

Mr. MICA. You might pull that mic up as close as you can. Thank

you.

Mr. ANDERSON. Good morning again. Thank you for the opportunity to testify. Before I begin, I’d like to recognize Elaine Wilson,

who is chief of our drug and alcohol abuse division, and who will

be able to answer any questions you might have.

I have a fairly lengthy written testimony that I would like submitted into the record.

Mr. MICA. Without objection the entire statement will be made

as part of the record.

Mr. ANDERSON. And with that in mind I will keep my comments

shorter if that’s all right.

Mr. MICA. Go ahead.

Mr. ANDERSON. I wanted to reiterate some of the points that

have already been made; that is, that substance abuse is a serious

problem, reaching epidemic proportions here in Hawaii. Our department’s primary goal and focus is to assure that the people suffering from substance abuse have the appropriate treatment services they need.

We have rather limited resources to accomplish this and the Federal funds provided by the Substances Abuse Prevention and Treatment Block Grant have greatly assisted our efforts. We certainly

appreciate the support provided by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service Administration.

Let me speak a little bit about the problem generally.

As of course all of you know it’s a serious problem that affects

everyone. Every man, woman and child in America spends over a

$1,000 per year aiding for substance abuse problems. Looking at

how this translates to Hawaii, the cost of alcohol and drug abuse

is estimated to be over $730 million with costs due to alcohol approximately $440 million and other drugs over $290 million. Those

costs include not only the direct medical costs but of course costs

associated with illnesses and death, motor vehicle crashes, crime

and incarceration and other related costs.

Substance abuse in Hawaii touches the lives of many families,

practically every family in Hawaii. Each delivery of a new child

that’s complicated by chemical addiction results in an expenditure

between 48,000 and $150,000 in maternity care, physicians’ fees

and hospital charges. Addictive substances have the potential for

destroying a person who is addicted, their family, and other relationships. Fetal alcohol syndrome, for example, is a condition that

is 100 percent preventable. Infants would not be born with irreversible physical and mental damages if this issue were addressed.

Approximately 65 percent of emergency room visits are drug and

alcohol related. We have also seen the link between domestic violence and substance abuse. We know that 25 to 50 percent of men

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who commit acts of domestic violence also have substance abuse

problems.

As Congresswoman Mink indicated, ice is probably one of the

greatest challenges we face today. It is a major crime prevention

problem, as Mr. Alm has pointed out, and it is a health problem.

Ice causes brain damage and can make the abusers psychotic, paranoid and schizophrenic.

In December, the Department of Health in conjunction with the

Center for Substance Abuse Treatment, sponsored the first regional

methamphetamine conference to increase knowledge, strategies

and treatment for those addicted to ice. Over 400 people attended

this conference. One of the presenters, a Dr. Rawson, remarked

that, ‘‘If Hawaii was in Arlington, Virginia, this would be a national emergency story in the extent to which it has affected the

community here. It’s certainly a very significant public health problem.’’ The conference was followed by a town meeting where overflowing crowds, mostly people in recovery or currently in treatment, filled the State capitol auditorium and made clear that family and community problems are attributed to ice. There was one

woman, probably in recovery, who told her story at town hall by

saying,

Ice seduced both me and my children. I was a construction worker for 15 years

and did drugs for 12. I lost my granddaughter who was stillborn because my daughter was on ice. I hate this drug even though it was my first love. I want to be a

strength to the community, not a menace. I went to a short-term program but it

didn’t work. I went loaded every day to work because I was an alcoholic and addict.

But long-term treatment works.

Ice in Hawaii has become a multigenerational problem, since

first introduced in 1985 and contributed to the increased demand

and need for treatment.

Mr. Ted Sakai is one of the panelists I know you have before you,

and I won’t go into a collaborative that we’re working on with them

to look at diversion programs for the criminal justice population.

But I would like to focus on a couple of other areas of high risk.

And Ms. Hamamoto has also mentioned this, but let me cite a

few statistics that I think should be repeated. The Department of

Health in a student alcohol and drug use survey, surveyed over

25,000 students in various grades and found that more than 14

percent of Hawaii’s sixth graders have used at least one illegal

drug in their lives. By 12th grade, 50 percent have used at least

one illegal drug. Alcohol is still the largest substance abuse problem for our youth, but what is of great concern is that almost twice

as many of Hawaii’s 8th and 10th graders report drinking alcohol

on a daily basis as compared to youth on the mainland.

Again, Ms. Hamamoto covered many of these statistics, but 26

percent of Hawaii’s 8th graders, 43 percent of the 10th graders and

50 percent of the 12th graders have used illegal drugs at least

once.

Inhalents are the second-most illicit drug after alcohol. And let

me finally add that one of the most disturbing statistics in the

1998 survey is that 8 percent of Hawaii’s 12th graders have used

crystal methamphetamine compared to 5 percent of the 12th graders on the mainland. Clearly we have more of a problem here in

Hawaii than on the mainland.

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Let me talk a bit about treatment needs. In Hawaii there has

been increased demand for both adult and adolescent drug treatment services resulting in a daily wait list for the residential treatment of between 150 and 300 clients. Access to drug treatment

does not meet the current need for services.

I do have some charts here today; incidentally, the tables of these

charts are in my testimony so there is no need to reproduce the

charts, but let me illustrate and highlight a couple of significant

points.

As we look at treatment needs, the cahrts indicate that among

young adults, there are over 89,000 adults in Hawaii who need

treatment. That’s 10 percent of the adult population.

I’ve a got a better pointer here.

I wanted to also highlight that the Department has resources to

treat only 2,500 of those 89,000 people. That’s less than 3 percent

of the population in need. When we look at the youth, the second

chart down here, we can see that the total youth needing treatment

amounts to 16,718. Again that’s consistent with Ms. Hamamoto’s

numbers. That’s 16 percent of our youth.

While Hawaii’s youth abuse alcohol and other drugs in similar

patterns to the mainland, the daily use, defined as using drugs 20

out of the last 30 days in Hawaii, is twice the Nation’s rate for

marijuana and alcohol. The Department of Health provides treatment for about 1,500 of these 1,600 youth, which is less than 9 percent of those who need treatment.

In our testimony we covered what we do in terms of treatment

services, and I won’t go through those, but I do want to emphasize

the effectiveness of treatment. It not only helps to reduce rates of

abuse, but it also reduces healthcare costs, crime, HIV and AIDS,

and complicated pregnancy costs and Welfare costs. Studies indicate for every $1 invested in treatment, over $7 are saved by reductions in health costs.

I have some other charts here that I’ll just touch on briefly.

During the State fiscal year 1999 we have listed here some of the

outcomes from treatment services. As you can see, for example,

looking down this list almost 83 of the those who were treated had

no arrests since they were discharged. And I won’t read through all

the numbers here, but the effectiveness of treatment is very clear

for the adults.

We also have some good statistics that relate to adolescents.

As I mentioned before, 83 percent of those who were treated had

no arrests.

Similarly we have very good statistics for the youth who have

been treated. While drug treatments have been proven to work,

Hawaii’s public treatment system can serve only approximately 12

percent of adults in severe need of treatment. An even greater

problem exists with the thousands of youth at vulnerable age needing treatment.

And finally let me touch on prevention.

The age at which children and adolescents initiate their use of

alcohol, tobacco and other drugs shapes the pattern of abstention

or abuse during youth and adulthood. Research has shown that

youth exposed to various risks for substance abuse are responsive

to prevention efforts.

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The Department’s prevention programs focus on reducing the incidence and prevalence of substance abuse, improving individual

and family functioning through specific skill building strategies,

and heightening personal and community awareness of risk and

protective factors for substance abuse.

A typical youth prevention program such as The Boys And Girls

Clubs’ ‘‘Smart Moves’’ or our Native Hawaiian ‘‘E Ola Pono’’ curriculum, stresses the teaching of refusal skills, dealing with peer

pressure, increasing awareness of the harm of alcohol and drugs,

providing HIV and AIDS education, and developing decisionmaking

skills, healthy choices, and life enhancing skills. There are sufficient resources for only 10 program sites throughout the State,

enough to provide an effective program to some of our youth yet

very few.

I have mentioned in my testimony some other prevention initiatives, but in rality, there are only one or two of these programs

across the State. We have also started a mentoring initiative and

working with our first lady Vicky Cayetano on the problem of underage drinking.

There is a great deal of prevention work to do. Effective models

are being implemented in Hawaii. However, to make a difference

to all of our children and our families we need more resources for

this.

In closing, let me say that Hawaii, like most States, has many

individuals and communities in need of substance abuse prevention

treatment. The lack of adequate resources available results in a

population of underserved or unserved individuals and tragedies

for many of our families.

We do appreciate this committee’s interest and commitment to

address the new challenges we face, and I thank you for the opportunity to present some of this information to you.

[The prepared statement of Mr. Anderson follows:]

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Mr. MICA. I’d like to thank all of our witnesses for their testimony, and I will start with several questions.

First of all, for the U.S. Attorney, tell me again what percentage

of crime you see in Hawaii related to illegal narcotics?

Mr. ALM. Well, like I said, I think given our extremely high property crime rate I think the vast majority of that is associated with

drug use. In Federal court we prosecute all of the bank robberies

and virtually all of the bank robbers are doing it to buy drugs.

Mr. MICA. It appears that there is a meth epidemic here. Different parts of the country have different problems. We were in

California, northern California all the way down to San Diego, has

similar meth problem. I come from an area that is ravaged by heroin.

Your HIDTA, your High Intensity Drug Traffic Area that you’ve

designated, have you chosen one specific narcotic, illegal narcotic to

go after? Some of them do concentrate in their overall planning to

target a particularly difficult problem.

Mr. ALM. Well, initially the biggest thrust would be setting up

the intelligence center so that all narcotics investigations will be

aided by the intelligence base. And the big initiative initially will

be a more complete comprehensive interdiction program at all four

airports that we now have that have direct flight capability.

So we have direct flights coming in to not only Honolulu International Airport, but Kauai, Maui and the Big Island. And getting

the interdiction efforts up on the neighbor islands and increasing

the efforts here on Oahu will cut access for all the drugs. We have

initiatives that we do not think that will be funded. The first year

there won’t be money because setting up the intelligence center

and setting up the interdiction program that will probably take virtually all the money. But we have a methamphetamine task force

and a black tar heroin task force that we will hopefully be able to

fund along those lines.

Mr. MICA. Have you submitted your request or prepared your request for funding for the 2000–2001 year?

Mr. ALM. Yes. And we’re working with the——

Mr. MICA. And how much is that?

Mr. ALM. The five new HIDTAs they were hoping to get at least

$21⁄2 million more per year. We didn’t even make that. We got $1.4

million for the current year and we are told at least it’s flat funding. We hope to get more.

But as you know the expense of procuring space and the computer capability, a lot of that is going to get taken up. We have had

very good response from all of the law enforcement entities about

assigning people to the HIDTA project. We are trying to run it as

lean as possible so only the very basic folks end up getting hired

that are recommended by ONDCP, and otherwise it’s going to be

staffed by many of the people you see here with Drug Enforcement

Administration, with the Honolulu Police Department and with our

office.

Mr. MICA. Well, it appears in addition to meth which is increased

at least from seizures—and actually it looks like your seizures are

down from 1998 to 1999, but it appears you have a substantial

problem with meth, according to at least what they are catching

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and then almost a doubling since 1997, over a doubling of heroin

and you say that’s black tar heroin coming out of Mexico?

Mr. ALM. Yes.

Mr. MICA. And the meth is also related to Mexican gangs, you

said, who were involved and Mexican production.

Mr. ALM. Yes. Often the precursor chemicals are coming over the

border. Most of the labs are in central and southern California.

Mr. MICA. And that is coming in from the mainland through the

airports. So that’s your major area of concentration of enforcement.

Mr. ALM. Yes.

Mr. MICA. How would you describe—and certainly the U.S. Customs is Federal responsibility. Do we have inadequate coverage as

far as Customs at these points of entry.

Mr. ALM. No. I think Customs has been doing a good job. The

number of seizures is certainly down over what it used to be. I

think that is more of a reflection of the traffickers. Even if the end

product is going to be here in Hawaii they are sending it to the

mainland and then back domestically so they can avoid the Customs searches. But Customs has been a real player in HIDTA and

looks forward to bringing, I think, especially some of the technology

they have developed and some of the cooperation they have developed, bringing that table.

Mr. MICA. What’s the size of the DEA operation here?

Mr. ALM. Michele Leonhart is the special agent in charge and

she’s here specifically——

Mr. MICA. I think she’s on the next panel. But do you feel that

their staffing is adequate to keep up with the amount of traffic?

Mr. ALM. I think their staffing could be improved. And I think

one thing that has been a real difficulty for all of the Federal law

enforcement agencies is that with the high cost of living in Hawaii

it’s extremely difficult for them to be able to attract mid career

agents who are the most effective, they’ve been seasoned, they’ve

got experience, but to have folks come out here as agents with families and kids, the cost of living just scares them away. We have

a lot of first-office agents at all of the Federal law enforcement

agencies. They have got a tremendous amount of enthusiasm but

they are just learning the trade.

And I think, again, you folks have joked about it yourself, that

coming to Hawaii, we hear the same thing, that this is Paradise,

you can’t have real crime problems. And the idea of giving a supplement or bonus for a Federal to be assigned to Hawaii—I realize

they have been trying to do that for Puerto Rico which has its own

tremendous crime problems, but it sounds like it’s a hard sell.

We have tried to communicate that with all of the Federal law

enforcement agencies, that their agents need more money to attract

the best agents. They are doing a good job now and they are working extremely close with other Federal agencies and the Honolulu

Police Department, but I think that that’s an area that can be improved.

Mr. MICA. You also advocated to the panel that drug treatment

for prisoners is an important program. We visited yesterday one

program. Is that the only program that you have or are there other

programs?

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Mr. ALM. I know Ted Sakai is going to be here. I think that is

the premiere program for the State prison system. They are also

doing an educational program at Halawa, the main State medium

security facility. All of the people that get arrested in Federal court

and are sent to the mainland for Federal prison have access to

drug treatment there. And we’re trying to work as in the Weed and

Seed program. We are arresting and sending the dealers to Federal

prison on the mainland.

Mr. MICA. The prison that’s being built now, I think you advocated having a treatment program.

Is that a State or Federal facility.

Mr. ALM. It’s a State facility. It’s not being built now. It’s supposed to be built now. They are still in the throes of finding a community to accept it. They were looking at the mainland, even building a prison on the mainland. I think the current focus through the

legislature is location on the Big Island.

Mr. MICA. Ms. Hamamoto, the Federal Government in the last

several years has authorized and approved funding for a million

dollar media campaign, education campaign which spent about a

third of a billion, I think, in 1 year. That is also supplemented by

at least an equal amount through donated time or services for effort.

Are you aware of that program and what’s your opinion of what

we have been doing so far?

Ms. HAMAMOTO. Let me call our staff person Wendell——

Mr. MICA. Well, no, I’m interested in what you have to say.

Have you seen anything that we have done?

Ms. HAMAMOTO. Yes, I have. Now that he needs to refresh my

memory.

Mr. MICA. Some of this is television ads——

Ms. HAMAMOTO. Yes, I have seen them. Do I think——

Mr. MICA. We want your candid assessment of what we are

doing. It’s the biggest program we have probably done in the history of Congress. Our job is to oversee that program. Is it successful? What do you think of it? Does it have any impact? Or maybe

we should use the money in some other way.

Ms. HAMAMOTO. I think it has a tremendous impact on the young

people. It makes them think; it challenges them to see what is out

there.

As an educator, as well as a former high school principal, I know

that since these ad campaigns have come out, we’ve had more students that have come to us requesting help, for themselves and

their friends. And it’s not something that the kids try to hide. It’s

something that they bring out and they want help for.

So I believe that what the drug campaigns have done is given

students an avenue, from by which they can express their feelings,

and seek help, which is better than not talking about it and keeping it bottled up.

Mr. MICA. If you were going to direct additional Federal resources to complement what you’re doing how would you proceed?

Ms. HAMAMOTO. I would like to see resources put into more drug

treatment programs for youngsters. Presently the Department of

Education is primarily into prevention, and we refer out for the

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treatment. We have more referrals for treatment for kids who need

it than there are agencies that can support them.

One of the things that I would like to see is for every student

on campus involved in any kind of drug violation, regardless of

whether it’s paraphernalia or use or just possession, included in

those violations that these students have some type of drug counseling, drug treatment, something that we could through policy insist that these students get help on. I would like to see Federal dollars go—if we could help more of these type of treatments, not only

on campus but with agencies that would support us as partners.

Mr. MICA. Dr. Anderson, one of the questions, debates in Congress is block grants versus continuing the program that we have

now of a combination of block grants and then discretionary grants

from the Federal Government.

Some of the preliminary information we did in looking at the

State of Florida—I’m not certain about Hawaii, I’d like to get the

information if we could—is we found in review, first of all, that 11

percent of the SAMHA, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administrative costs are used to disburse 89 percent of the funds; 89

percent of the funds are given in block grant program. We end up

with 89 percent of the balance of the resources being spent administrative costs to disburse the remaining 11 percent. The discretionary grant overhead is very expensive.

In my review of Florida we found that many that are receiving

the discretionary grants are also receiving State grants. We have

had Federal money from grants going to these programs and we

are spending 100—or 89 percent of $129 million to administrative

program and gift money in discretionary grants to folks that are already going through the process and being eligible for block grant

money through the States.

Why don’t we just block grant all the funds?

Mr. ANDERSON. Without knowing all the——

Mr. MICA. Let me change the question. It sounds like Hawaii is

sort of at the short end at getting some of these discretionary

funds.

How much do you get in discretionary funds?

Mr. ANDERSON. I would have to ask our program staff to describe

that. Let me say we are also at a disadvantage when it comes to

receiving discretionary funds given the lack of resources in the

State to even apply for those. We don’t have anyone—we don’t have

grant writers in our State. I think many States are faced with the

same thing. What has to happen is someone like Elaine Wilson behind me or someone else must spend a weekend, or two, or three,

or more writing for grants, which is very difficult.

Personally, without knowing the circumstances here, I’m often

troubled with block grants just because I think categorical grants

to be much more targeted and often much easier to administer. If

there is a clear problem, those work best. There is always the

temptation to say with a block grant: Well, we have given you

money that you can use for that purpose if you want to.

Having said that, would you like more specific——

Mr. MICA. If you could I would like you to submit for the record

a list of all—any discretionary grants you get, the total amount of

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money you get in discretionary grants, and then the amount you

get in block grant money.

We hear the common theme. We have held hearings on SAMHA

discretionary and also block grant program and we have heard the

call for more flexibility with the block grants. And also we have imposed reporting requirements and accountability requirements

which now sometimes duplicate what States are doing and have

also—of course, we had testimony at one of our hearings that one

of the providers said that they spend 4 days a week providing

treatment and 1 day filling out forms and reporting. And we’re not

sure even where those forms go or who is looking at them, if they

make any difference.

Are you finding the same type of problem from some of the reporting requirements?

Mr. ANDERSON. Certainly. I think it’s perhaps the need that

tends to sometimes overwhelm the program because it lacks administrative support.

Again, I would have to defer to our program staff, with regard

to the specifics of any time allotted to meeting those reporting requirements. But generally I would say that we’d like to have a

minimal number of reporting requirements particularly with discretionary grants and block grants as well and be able to focus

more on program delivery.

Mr. MICA. One of the problems—I will just close with this—is

that we found as we increase Federal funding to States we find legislatures decreasing the amount of funding for treatment and in

particular prevention programs.

I’m not sure if that’s the case in your State. We can go back and

look at it historically. But again we find giving more Federal

money ends up having a decrease in what the State (inaudible) is

what kind of increases have you had in your funding over the past

several years from the State legislature for these programs?

Mr. ANDERSON. I think over the last several years we have had

no increase in State funding whatsoever.

Let me add that our treatment is helping only a very small percentage of those persons in need. For adults 3 percent; for youth

about 9 percent I think is the numbers that I recall.

This year we’re talking about using some of the tobacco settlement moneys for drug treatment. In fact there is a bill going

through the legislature that would allocate up to 25 percent of the

moneys the State’s receiving from tobacco, for drug and alcohol

abuse treatment.

Clearly it’s a significant problem here given the scarcity of State

resources and our economic situation. A commitment of this

amount of money to drug abuse treatment is indicative that this

is perceived as a problem. Our State has not had the luxury of having a lot of uncommitted funds over the last few years. We have

been struggling to make balance. In fact this year we looked at a

significant reduction in funding, despite the fact that the rest of

the Nation is doing very well.

So we haven’t had the discretionary State funding to put toward

substance abuse or any other program for that matter. Any Federal

support would be welcomed, not necessarily supplanting general

funds, State general funds or other funds. I think we would be able

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to use that money to supplement the limited State resources we

have. So I would not worry about that problem, especially if the

money were targeted toward substance abuse.

Mr. MICA. Thank you. Yield to the ranking member, Mrs. Mink.

Mrs. MINK. Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. I would like

to ask unanimous consent that I be permitted to submit a number

of questions to the three witnesses—— Mr. MICA. Without objection.

Mrs. MINK [continuing]. And their responses be inserted in the

record.

Mr. MICA. Without objection.

Mrs. MINK. The testimony is very interesting and yields to a

large number of questions. And I know we don’t have time to go

into many of these areas since we do have two other panels.

I think that what needs to be said at this hearing, and hopefully

we have other hearings in the future, at least from my vantage

point the reason I’m here is that I wanted to emphasize to my colleagues in the Congress and to the Nation as a whole as they look

at the drug problems that we here in Hawaii have a very very serious problem.

Having said that it’s also, I think, disturbing to realize that our

State government and our local governments have not really put

this at the top of their list in terms of State and local priorities in

dealing with these problems.

Law enforcement is one thing; that’s going to continue. And we

may have disagreements as to law enforcement efforts. But from

my perspective the area of treatment and prevention is the key.

We’re going to have a HIDTA to develop intelligence so we can

interdict these drugs as they are coming in to the State. But once

the drugs are here we have to do something about the demand and

to try to limit it, try to educate, particularly our young people. And

if they should fall victim to these drugs we need to have in place

a wide variety of treatment programs that could be made available.

And it’s disturbing to hear you, Dr. Anderson, say that we only

have about 10 percent of our young people in treatment programs,

if I heard you correct, and that there is almost none in the State

school system in terms of treatment. You find a youngster who is

abusing drugs and there is very little you can do within the school

system. You have to refer that individual to either law enforcement

or to the Department of Health.

State Senator Chumbley sent me responses to questions that he

propounded to all State agencies who have anything to do with

drug treatment, drug prevention, asking them what State dollars

were use ub their program and what the Federal contributions

were. And over all I was quite shocked to see the very, very limited

amount of State assets that were going into some of these very,

very important areas.

And so my one question that I wanted to ask the three witnesses

is, is this drug problem one which only the Federal Government

needs to pay attention to and is it the primary source for concern

for funding, for direction, for initiatives, or how do you split this

responsibility? Is it a State responsibility? And if it is, what can we

do from the Federal end to encourage States to do more? Do we

need matching programs? Do we need to direct the energies of the

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States in certain kinds of preventive treatment programs? Do we

have to illustrate what works and try to encourage States to go

down that path?

What can we do as Federal legislators to bring to bear obviously

limited resources at the State level but to create a much greater

awareness of the State and local responsibility to help the Nation

do something about this very, very terrible problem?

Mr. ALM. Well, I think Federal funding that is targeted as was

mentioned that can only be used for treatment or can only be used

for prevention and perhaps requiring a match, by targeting those

funds is a way to go.

And I think for the kids it’s supporting programs like the A-Plus

program and other programs for kids so that if they’re active and

they’re busy and they’re engaged otherwise they are less likely to

get involved in this kind of activity to begin with. So encouraging

those kinds of efforts. And as we described, the heros like Bernard

Lewis at Kaiulani Elementary School, people on their own doing

things if they get some encouragement to set up programs so kids

can be kept active, kept busy in doing other things. And I think

there is a long way, if those programs were expanded throughout

the State, we would go a long way toward giving kids other things

to do so they wouldn’t go down this path to begin with.

Mrs. MINK. So if I understand your answer you’re saying when

we look at the prevention area you’re listing A-Plus as a part of

the program for prevention, so you would include that as part of

the total expenditure for the State?

Mr. ALM. Yes.

Mrs. MINK. Thank you.

Ms. HAMAMOTO. I thought about what you said and I’d like to

say all of the above that you mentioned: Matching funds, efforts to

expand, to encourage what are the best practices. For the Department of Education if it’s a national priority and we keep it in front

of the system as a whole that drug prevention treatment and the

problems that we have with the misuse and abuse of drugs is a priority that needs to be addressed, then it filters into all the systems

that we have as far as education. I think the Federal Government

keeping it at a priority level is important. I also believe that the

funding, when it’s leveraged or matched with our funds also allows

us to expand programs.

And like Steve Alm said, what happens is, if we take our programs that we presently have and we look at the flexibility and

how we can somehow tie in the use of those funds to ensure that

as we do academic (inaudible) we also include the idea of drug prevention and drug awareness, we would have much better results.

So I would like to see it in all areas.

Mr. ANDERSON. Let me just add I have no difference of opinion

with either of the other witnesses here.

I think, Congresswoman Mink, the point you made to focus on

prevention activities is so important. The treatment needs are so

overwhelming here that unless you have targeted grant moneys,

they are going to be moneys sucked up in treatment services. I

think we have something like $80 million of expected treatment

needs here that are not being met. And given the benefit of prevention, for every $1 we are spending on prevention we are potentially

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saving $7 or more in treatment. I think that, to get the biggest

bang for the bucks, with money targeted toward prevention activities, we ultimately are going to be saving ourselves much more expense down the line. And I would suggest that at least some of the

Federal moneys if targeted toward that purpose, would help.

Mrs. MINK. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Mr. MICA. Thank you. The problem we have found at the Federal

level in supporting public treatment programs is that there is a

very high rate of recidivism. Even in the program that we visited

yesterday, I think they were only averaging 30 or 40 percent success rate.

What can we do to support effective programs and what do you

consider most effective programs, Dr. Anderson?

Mr. ANDERSON. Actually I’m now working with the Department

of Public Safety on focusing, not only on the population of individuals who are incarcerated but also those people on probation and

parole. We are trying to see what we can do about getting a comprehensive treatment program in place for the entire justice population to help stop that revolving door.

We’re now actually looking at jacking up some alcohol and cigarette taxes to help pay for some of those programs. Politically I’m

not sure how viable it is here, but I would say a comprehensive

program similar to the program Arizona has in place, which I think

focuses primarily on persons on parole, but a program to focus on

a continuum care and support for those individuals is critical.

One thing that I have noted with the recidivism problem is that

short-term treatment doesn’t work. You can’t just put someone in

a treatment program for a few weeks or months, or whatever, and

then expect them to be OK.

To have a program that works you need to provide continual support for that individual and be able to track them, and continue

that support after the treatment is over.

A comprehensive case management approach with a case manager, supporting that individual as they move, say out of the prison

system, into treatment programs and then into community, I think

is going to be critical toward assuring that those individuals don’t

commit crimes again or have other problems. So we are working to

see if we can get such a model in place. Of course it takes money,

it takes staff to build up such an effort, but perhaps with some

Federal support maybe looking at Hawaii as a model we could

make this program work.

Mr. MICA. Mr. Alm, yesterday I think you described to me the

problem you have with people who are going through the State system of their delays, they’re back on the street. It is a tough regimen as there is at the Federal level and your tougher cases you

try to get into the Federal system. Yet there is a call now for doing

away with minimum mandatory sentencing. And that is something

you also have cited as being a tool that you can use for prosecution

and tough enforcement.

What should we do about minimum mandatory, leave it, change

it?

Mr. ALM. I think there may be some problems that certain communities in the neighborhood had with perceived disparity on how

those have been applied. I don’t think that’s been the case here.

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When we are doing cases in Federal court it’s for couriers who are

all part of drug organizations, and those are the guys who are primarily getting hit with the mandatory minimums. I think it’s a

very useful tool. We have to get other people in those organizations

and the mandatory sentences provide the impetus for them to do

that.

I think the best dollar would be spent on the programs you’ve— like the Kash Box program. That is something that’s working, plus

the followup when they get out. We know those guys are criminals

who are committing crimes, who are committing the burglaries,

who are committing the auto theft break-ins. We’re not speculating

about those guys. Every single one of those guys we can get off of

drugs for when they move back out, it’s going to save the State

thousands of dollars in future crimes that can be avoided.

And I think one of the reasons the Federal system is able to work

is we deal with a smaller number of people. And so the penalties

are higher. I think by us going after the traffickers, that’s good use

of that Federal dollar.

Mr. MICA. I think we will have additional questions for the panelists, the witnesses who are here this morning, the first panel.

And I think we have already had some questions to which we are

seeking answers and we will leave the record open for 2 more

weeks for responding. So we ask for your cooperation in providing

responses to submitted questions as some have been raised here at

the hearing this morning.

I do want to thank all three of you again for your professionalism, for your efforts in trying to assist with a very difficult societal

problem and one that has particularly impacted the State of Hawaii.

There being no further questions I will dismiss this panel and

call the second panel this morning.

The second panel consists of Major Susan Dowsett. She is the

narcotics/vice division of the Honolulu Police Department with that

division.

And Mr. Ted Sakai; he is the Director of the State of Hawaii Federal Safety Department.

Mr. Nat Aycox; he is the Port Director of the U.S. Customs Service.

Next witness is Ms. Michele M. Leonhart, and she is the special

agent in charge of the Los Angeles field division of the DEA, Drug

Enforcement Administration.

The final panelist is Major Randall Tom, and he’s the

counterdrug coordinator for the Hawaii National Guard.

(Inaudible) This is an investigation and oversight subcommittee

of the House of Representatives.

I will swear in the witnesses if you would all please stand.

[Witnesses sworn.]

Mr. MICA. The witnesses have answered in the affirmative.

I’d also inform the panel that we will add lengthy statements

upon request to the record and also additional materials that you

would like to see made part of this congressional hearing.

With that I’m pleased to recognize Major Susan Dowsett. She is

with the narcotics/vice division of the Honolulu Police Department.

Welcome and you are recognized.

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STATEMENT OF MAJOR SUSAN DOWSETT, NARCOTICS/VICE

DIVISION, HONOLULU POLICE DEPARTMENT

Major DOWSETT. Good morning. Dear Chair Mica, I’m going to

basically discuss some of the drug challenges which face the Honolulu Police Department.

Highly pure crystal methamphetamine remains the dominant

drug problem in Hawaii. Although the drug is expensive and costs

approximately $100 to $200 per gram on the street, its highly addictive nature and its abundant supply have made it the most

problematic drug being abused in Hawaii today. Crystal methamphetamine use has frequently been associated with violent

crimes and has contributed to the increase in property crimes.

As with most other drugs entering our State, it is estimated that

90 percent of methamphetamine is imported by air. It is believed

that the bulk of the methamphetamine entering Hawaii is manufactured in Mexican-based clandestine laboratories and then transported to California for distribution to Hawaii and other destinations.

Cocaine use and distribution remains prevalent, with crack cocaine being preferred among users. While cases and arrests have

declined slightly, seizures at the airport have increased.

Heroin use in Hawaii is relatively low in comparison to methamphetamine and cocaine. However, the recent influx of Mexican

black tar heroin is a matter of continual concern for law enforcement. Approximately 90 percent of all heroin coming to Hawaii arrives from Mexican sources and is controlled by Mexican-based organizations with a corps of runners or couriers operating between

southern California and Hawaii.

Marijuana has long been popular in Hawaii and is only now surpassed by crystal methamphetamine. Marijuana addiction is the—

and there is a correction there, instead of ‘‘second’’ it should be

‘‘third’’—marijuana is the third most common primary drug problem among treatment admissions for adults, and is the No. 1 primary drug for juvenile treatment admissions.

The majority of the marijuana supply in Hawaii is locally produced, high grade, and very potent. It is in demand worldwide by

marijuana connoisseurs. Despite the abundant locally produced

marijuana, there has been a dramatic increase in seizures occurring at the airport over the past 2 years.

And to a lesser extent we have seen other drugs such as ecstasy,

6HB, and LSD come back in popularity especially among the teens

and the young adults and military personnel who frequent the

‘‘rave’’ clubs, the ‘‘rave’’ scene.

Thank you for the opportunity to testify.

Mr. MICA. Thank you for your testimony.

[The prepared statement of Major Dowsett follows:]

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Mr. MICA. We will now recognize Mr. Ted Sakai. And he is the

director of the State of Hawaii Public Safety Department.

STATEMENT OF TED SAKAI, DIRECTOR, STATE OF HAWAII

PUBLIC SAFETY DEPARMENT

Mr. SAKAI. Thank you very much, Chairman Mica and Representative Mink. Thank you for the opportunity of testifying before you this morning on this very important topic.

The Department of Public Safety has two arms: One is the law

enforcement, we are responsible for the State sheriffs as well as the

narcotics enforcement division of the State of Hawaii. We also operate the correctional system in Hawaii. Given the ample representation that you have this morning on the law enforcement side I

thought I’d focus my thoughts on the correction side.

Our department, unlike most other States has a comprehensive

correctional system. By this, I mean we are responsible, the State

of Hawaii is responsible for its prisons and jails. In most jurisdictions you will see a split. The prison system is run by the State

government, and the jail system by the county government. In Hawaii we have a comprehensive system where our department is responsible for both sides.

Drugs have had a profound impact on the correctional system in

Hawaii. We have had a tremendous growth in our inmate population. The focus of our rehabilitative efforts have shifted dramatically in the past 10 years because of drugs. And finally, the health

needs of inmates has shifted dramatically because of drugs.

As it regards population growth, the information I have provided

you indicates that our prison population has increased by about 64

percent in the past 5 years, most of this is attributable to drugs.

Drug-related offences has increased by 221 percent in this period.

Since 1996, we have had mandatory sentencing for the possession of crystal methamphetamine which has been referred to this

morning as the No. 1 problem in Hawaii. The number of inmates

admitted due to felony convictions for possession of ice has increased from 6.4 percent in 1995 to 10.3 percent in 1999.

Our prison population has increased to such an extent that we

are currently housing about 1,200 inmates on the mainland. And

this is a significant number because our department is responsible

for a total of 4,700 inmates, prison and jail. In other words, about

25 percent of the people under our care and custody are housed in

Oklahoma, Tennessee and Minnesota, not in the State of Hawaii,

simply because we have run out of room, and we have chosen this

means to avoid litigation based on conditions of confinement.

Regarding the drug problems, the last time we were able to do

a formal study was in 1991 and at that time the study indicated

that 53 percent of the offenders in the correctional system committed their offenses while under the influence of drugs. I would not

be surprised if that number has increased since 1991. That study

also indicated that 85 percent of the incarcerated population have

serious substance abuse problem that require treatment interventions.

Regarding the health problem, our health care staff has found

that substance abuse is directly related to serious medical problems

that drain our resources, such as hepatitis A, B and C, liver disVerDate 11-MAY-2000 12:53 Apr 03, 2001 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00078 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6633 C:\DOCS\68506.TXT HGOVREF1 PsN: HGOVREF1
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ease, HIV and AIDS, organic brain damage, and psychosis. This

was something I was not really aware of, but they also reported to

me that tuberculosis is also related to use of drugs, which is unexpected.

Drugs is also closely related to the high rate of mental illness in

our correctional facilities. We estimate that more than 20 percent

of our correctional population suffers from some sort of mental

health problem. In 1999 we suffered from a rash of suicides in our

system. We had seven suicides in our correctional system in Hawaii

in calendar year 1999. In all seven cases the victims were serious

drug users.

The problem that is emerging in our consciousness, is a problem

we call dual diagnosis. We recently conducted a survey just last fall

and we found that 24 percent of the women and 9 percent of the

men have what we call co-occurring diagnosis, mental illness accompanied by substance abuse. And this is a problem that we’re

trying to formulate a strategy for right now.

Some of the systemic treatment type problems that we see in our

correctional system, No. 1, lack of common assessments among the

various agencies in the criminal justice system. We need to coordinate better among probation, parole and the incarcerated populations; second, the lack of trained substance abuse professionals

available for treatment for our population. And the third, perhaps

the most serious, the lack of continuity of services for offenders

exiting correctional facilities.

As regards to this third point, I would like to point out that we

surveyed in State fiscal call year 1999 about 1,000 probation and

parole violators returned to our system. Of the 600 parole violators

who returned 150 or 25—I’m sorry, 600 probation violators, about

150 or about 25 percent were technical violators whose technical

violation was drug use. In other words, they came back to prison

simply because of drug use.

But the parole statistics are even worse. About 40 percent of the

430 parole violators who returned to incarceration returned purely

because of drug use.

So as you can see the need for treatment for people exiting the

correctional system is very important.

Chairman Mica, with your permission I would like to just correct

a number that you stated earlier. I believe the statistics for our

Kash Box program which you visited yesterday—and thank you

very much for doing so—indicate that 30 to 40 percent of the Kash

Box graduates fail on treatment. I think the statistics will indicate

that about 70 percent of the serious drug users who do not go to

treatment will return to incarceration.

In our testimony, I further layout some of the programs that we

have. They are very limited. Besides the Kash Box program we

have a very small program for the women which is limited to 15

beds and we certainly could use more. We have a 30 bed transition

program on Oahu for Kash Box graduates who are returning to the

community and we believe that this should be expanded.

As regards our additional needs, the biggest area of need as I indicated would be for programs in the community for probationers

and parolees to help them stay out of prison, and to assist them

in making useful lives.

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I think treatment is an absolute necessity. But only through well

thought out, coordinated and effective treatment is the State going

to address its long-term prison overcrowding problem, which can

really become very costly.

Thank you very much.

Mr. MICA. Thank you for your testimony.

[The prepared statement of Mr. Sakai follows:]

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Mr. MICA. I will recognize now Mr. Nat Aycox. He’s the Port Director the U.S. Customs Service. Welcome and you are recognized,

sir.

STATEMENT OF NAT AYCOX, PORT DIRECTOR, U.S. CUSTOMS

SERVICE

Mr. AYCOX. Thank you, Chairman Mica, Representative Mink.

I am Nat Aycox. I’m the Port Director for the combined Customs

ports for the State of Hawaii. I’m also representing resident agentin-charge Larry Burnett of the Honolulu Customs Office of Investigations. Thank you for inviting me to speak this morning.

In the past 5 years, the dynamics of drug smuggling have been

changing dramatically. Hawaii continues to be assaulted, however,

by an influx of drugs from outside our borders, both internationally

and domestically.

In its long history as a conduit for drugs headed from Southeast

Asia to the mainland, Hawaii has seen many significant heroin seizures by Customs at Honolulu Airport.

In the past decade methamphetamines and designer chemicals

have been added to the shopping list of illegal drugs. With the notable exception of opium smuggling, international drug shipments

to Hawaii are now as likely to come from Canada or Mexico as they

are from Asia.

Recently, inspectors at our air cargo station discovered 8 kilos of

marijuana and 290 grams of designer MDMA known as ecstacy

from Canada. Customs special agents arrested three individuals associated with the shipment. Earlier this month Customs special

agents arrested two men in Waikiki after a controlled delivery of

21 pounds of BC buds that were discovered by inspectors in

Danville, WA. BC buds are British Colombian hot-house grown

marijuana that tested 33 percent TAC content.

The emergence of Colombia as America’s principal heroin supplier has turned that market upside down. Mexico also serves as

a supplier and conduit of illegal drugs. Today Hawaii is not only

a destination for drugs, but has also become a transit point for

Mexican and South American drugs destined for Australia, Guam,

the South Pacific islands and Asia. Asia continues to be a threat,

however, with intelligence still reporting significant trafficking

groups to Thailand and the Philippines. We anticipate some of

these new patterns will again reverse themselves as Asia rebuilds

its economy and China enters both tourism and the illicit narcotics

marketplace.

For the 5-years, the Honolulu Customs mail facility is (inaudible)

up an average of 235 pounds of opium each year in parcels and

Laos.

Shifts in trafficking patterns are normal for drug smuggling operations which continue to change and evolve to take advantage of

any weaknesses detected in law enforcement efforts. Of all drugs

coming in to Hawaii, the one of greatest concern to us in Customs

and here in the community, is crystal methamphetamine. Virtually

unknown a decade or so ago crystal methamphetamine known on

the street as ice is a crystallized form of what was known as

‘‘speed’’ in the 1960’s. This odorless, colorless drug originally began

arriving in Hawaii from the Philippines and Korea.

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As people can tell you, users who smoke this drug for 24 to 48

hours without sleeping become desperately paranoid. Mixed with

firearms, the drug becomes lethal and has resulted in numerous

armed hostage situations, domestic violence scenes and armed police standoffs. Most recently, and sadly, Dominick Kealoha shot and

killed himself in Nanakuli after an ice field stand-off with police.

We join U.S. Stephen Alm in applauding the Honolulu Police Department for their outstanding handling of this and other recent

tragic agent.

It’s anticipated that synthetic chemical drug smuggling will increase as these drugs become more popular and available. We have

already seen an increase in the implementation of steroids, tranquilizers and prescription drugs through the postal system and the

express consignment operators as more and more Web sites in foreign countries are offering to send these items over the internet.

Honolulu Customs continues to work diligently with local law enforcement agencies and other Federal agencies and the National

Guard in a unified effort to suppress the importation of illegal

drugs. We are very aware of the opportunities now available, since

Hawaii’s destination as a high intensity drug trafficking area.

Our cooperation is extended overseas and was exemplified in the

1998 operation at Norita Airport in Japan to study the potential for

that key Asian hub to be a transit point for southeast Asian narcotics. Our study revealed that Norita has a high potential for being

a transit point for drugs into major American cities.

U.S. Customs has an aggressive community outreach program.

For example, we send our K9 enforcement officers into schools to

educate our island children on the dangers of illegal drugs. K9 enforcement officers and their drug detector dogs provide an antidrug

program for over 2,000 island school children last year.

Customs also takes a multilateral approach to attacking drug

smuggling in Hawaii. We work very closely with the Coast Guard

and Customs services of Australia and New Zealand to monitor

maritime trafficking in and out of the islands. We also monitor air

and sea cargo, mail and express courier operations, and air passenger traffic.

Honolulu is the seventh largest international airport in terms of

foreign passenger arrivals. We are the fourth; it has dropped because of the Asia crisis.

We remain on the lookout for drugs both entering and leaving

the United States. We also monitor currency entering and leaving

the United States that may have been used in drug transactions.

In two recent cases the mail facility seized money being mailed

from Guam to the West Coast to pay for crystal methamphetamine.

Mr. Chairman, I know that you and the other members of the

subcommittee have been very supportive of Customs Service. I wish

you continued success in your efforts. And we know that you are

working to secure funding for Customs through the pending Colombia supplemental procreation bill. In another area Customs could

also use some assistance in closing the loophole that allows drug

traffickers and money launderers to avoid Customs inspection for

shipments that move in transit or through outbound mail. We believe the mail can be and is being used to export illegal drug proceeds.

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The men and women of the Customs Service who serve as guardians of the Nation’s borders appreciate your concern and continued

support on this very serious matter.

I’ll be happy to answer any of your questions.

Mr. MICA. Thank you.

[The prepared statement of Mr. Aycox follows:]

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Mr. MICA. We will hear next from Michele M. Leonhart. And she

is the special agent in charge of the Los Angeles Field Division of

the Drug Enforcement Administration.

Welcome and you are recognized.

STATEMENT OF MICHELE M. LEONHART, SPECIAL AGENT IN

CHARGE, LOS ANGELES FIELD DIVISION, DRUG ENFORCEMENT ADMINISTRATION

Ms. LEONHART. Thank you. Chairman Mica, Congresswoman

Mink and members of the subcommittee, I am pleased to have the

opportunity to appear here today to discuss drug-related issues facing the State of Hawaii. I would first like to thank the subcommittee for its continued support of the Drug Enforcement Administration and overall support of drug law enforcement. My testimony

today will provide you with an objective assessment of the law enforcement issues surrounding the drug threat throughout the State

of Hawaii.

Hawaii’s position in the national drug market is unique, due primarily to its location and its isolation from the mainland. Illicit

drugs, like other commodities here in Hawaii, command a premium

price within the State. Drug trafficking organizations have found

it extremely profitable to establish distribution outlets here in Hawaii. With profit margins in excess of 300 percent from those on

the mainland, traffickers are willing to take the risks associated

with drug trafficking.

I will give you an example. A pound of methamphetamine in the State of California goes for between $10,000 and $15,000. That

same pound will sell here in Hawaii for between $30,000 and

$35,000.

Throughout the State of Hawaii all types of drugs are available.

Most drugs are smuggled into the area from the mainland United

States, principally California. Recently even marijuana which is

cultivated here in abundance has been intercepted in transit from

Canada destined for Hawaii.

Since Hawaii is an island State surrounded by water, the threat

for introduction of drugs by means of vessel is always present. And

historically preferred method has been by way of commercial air

travel. The drugs are either concealed in accompanying baggage,

hand carried, or what we call body carried.

The most alarming trend is the fact that the quantities of drugs

entering Hawaii or accessible in Hawaii are increasing at a rapid

rate. This is not only true on Oahu but on the neighbor islands as

well. Methamphetamine, heroin, cocaine are among the most popular drugs brought into the State.

I would now like to discuss these drugs in greater detail.

Since early 1999, Hawaii retail and wholesale prices for crystal

meth which we are calling ‘‘ice’’ have remained stable following an

abrupt increase experienced in 1997. During the past 10 to 12

months we have noticed an increased involvement by Hispanic

drug traffickers in all facets of drug trafficking here in Hawaii.

Previously, Mexican or Hispanic drug traffickers occupied the positions of sources and supply for the meth coming into Hawaii. Local

drug trafficking groups, utilizing local networks, distributed the

drugs once they got into Hawaii. It appears, however, that the

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Mexican and Hispanic trafficking groups have moved into the distribution aspect of the drug business as well.

Up until late 1998 the labs seized were relatively small and restricted to the conversion process, i.e., converting methamphetamine to ice. The potential for a fully functional ice production lab

was realized in late 1999 when a clan lab site was located and dismantled on the island of Maui.

In Hawaii, as well as at the national level, meth abuse and

meth-related criminal activity has continued to increase over the

past 2 years. The latest drug treatment made available indicates

that methamphetamine was the primary drug reported by subjects

seeking voluntary drug rehabilitation treatment in Hawaii. All too

often parental use of ice results in instances of serious child abuse.

Today, similar to methamphetamine, Hawaii faces an increase of

black tar heroin use. The drug, manufactured in Mexico, is readily

available throughout Hawaii. Hispanic trafficking groups working

in concert with relatives and associates on the mainland and in

Mexico control the distribution of heroin from entry point to street

sales. The black tar heroin is smuggled into Hawaii in multi-ounce

and multi-pound quantities primarily from the Los Angeles area

via commercial air courier or through parcel services. Hispanic and

Mexican nationals involved with the heroin trafficking trade in Hawaii are rotated frequently between the islands and back and forth

to the mainland and to Mexico. The traffickers do this to maintain

low profiles within the community to confuse law enforcement efforts.

Although heroin-related deaths on the mainland have decreased

over the past 2 years, it should be noted that the heroin user population is increasing and that the new users are a younger age.

Street dealers actually recruit new customers by soliciting around

schools and/or nearby drug treatment centers. This methodology

was initiated by Mexican traffickers operating in Hawaii. The quality of street heroin available in Hawaii is extremely high, usually

between the 50 to 70 percent range. Considering this factor, addiction may occur much more rapidly, and the probability of an accidental overdose will be greater for the inexperienced user.

Cocaine in kilo quantities is readily accessible throughout the

State. The use and street sales of crack cocaine, which is cocaine

base, has remained stable over the past year. Cocaine does not

have the popularity of ice in Hawaii but it is readily available from

heroin or ice dealers. It is often used in combinations with other

drugs or alcohol and is less expensive than ice.

Marijuana production continues to be a significant problem within the State of Hawaii. Hawaii has always had the dubious distinction of supplying some of the best marijuana to the world. Marijuana is another drug of choice among Hawaii residents, unfortunately including many middle and high school children.

Marijuana cultivators, active on all major Hawaiian islands, pose

an ever-changing menace to the environment and public domain.

Growers utilize both public and private lands to further their industry with little regard for others. And in fact often intimidate

visitors, hikers and hunters who inadvertently trespass onto their

grow sites.

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New drugs such as MDMA, GHB, Rohipnol and steroids are

available in Hawaii and are used and distributed in fitness and

dance clubs frequented by the late teen or early 20’s crowd. GHB

and Rohipnol are also known as ‘‘date rape’’ drugs. Several GHB

clan labs were actually seized in the State of Hawaii during the

last 2 years.

The DEA Honolulu office acknowledges that in order to effectively identify, target and dismantle organizations responsible for

trafficking these drugs, they must work with other Federal, State

and local agencies. As a result, the Honolulu district of the DEA

has a close working relationship with all four county local law enforcement departments as well as the State and other Federal

agencies engaged in drug law enforcement. It would be virtually

impossible for the DEA to effectively pursue the majority of its investigations in Hawaii and the Pacific area without this cooperative effort.

One such example of cooperative effort, you heard from U.S. Attorney Alm, is the Weed and Seed program managed by his office.

Due to an intense effort by the Honolulu PD over 100 arrests

were made in a recent Weed and Seed task force operation. The

majority of the defendants were prosecuted federally. Several businesses were seized as a result of the drug trafficking activity that

was condoned by the owners.

In fiscal year 2001 there is a Weed and Seed initiative, I am told,

that will focus on another area of Oahu that has a high incidence

of drug abuse, poverty and criminal activities.

In 1999 the State of Hawaii was designated as a High Intensity

Drug Trafficking Area, otherwise known as HIDTA, which again

provides for cooperative law enforcement approaches to the drug

situation throughout the State. HIDTA funding should provide a

much needed shot in the arm for State, local and Federal drug enforcement units in Hawaii. These additional resources will enable

the four county police departments and the State and Federal

agencies with drug interdiction programs to combine their efforts

and focus their resources to make the greatest impact on the drug

trafficking problem that faces Hawaii today.

As I have already stated, the primary threat that Hawaii faces

in our ability to attack the traffickers at the point they are most

vulnerable, is at the airports. Drug traffickers are aware of the success of the drug interdiction program that has been in place at the

Honolulu International Airport for several years and have moved

their operations to airports located on neighboring islands. The

HIDTA executive committee is aware of this shift in the trafficking

pattern and is taking steps to ensure that this threat is addressed,

as soon as the HIDTA is fully functional. We at DEA will be an

aggressive partner and we fully support the HIDTA initiative by

providing manpower, expertise in airport operations and interstate

communications network to provide drug transportation intelligence rapidly. We plan to actively participate in the intelligence

center and be available to assist the four county police departments

and State agencies with the development of their individual initiatives. If we are successful in this endeavor the drug traffickers will

be forced to find another means of smuggling their illegal drugs

into the State of Hawaii.

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Ladies and gentlemen, as we speak the Honolulu district office

is conducting two major drug trafficking initiatives targeting drug

trafficking groups operative throughout Hawaii. These enforcement

efforts are being made in concert with the Honolulu PD, the Maui

PD, the Hawaii Police Department, the Kauai Police Department,

the Honolulu office of the FBI, ATF, U.S. Immigration, U.S. Customs and IRS. These types of investigations demanding the participation of multiple agencies will become the norm rather than the

exception in the months and years to come.

Congressman Mica and Congresswoman Mink, I thank you for

providing the opportunity to address the subcommittee and look

forward to answering any questions you have.

Mr. MICA. Thank you.

[The prepared statement of Ms. Leonhart follows:]

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Mr. MICA. We’ll hear from our final witness Major Randall Tom.

STATEMENT OF RANDALL TOM, COUNTERDRUG

COORDINATOR, HAWAII NATIONAL GUARD

Major TOM. I’m Randall Tom, the Hawaii National Guard

Counterdrug Coordinator. I am here to provide testimony on our

program efforts in responding to drug challenges in Hawaii.

Over the past 10 years, the Hawaii National Guard has increased its emphasis on counterdrug activities as concerns about illicit drug use in the United States have grown. In 1997, the Hawaii

National Guard was the first in the Nation to utilize National

Guard personnel to provide support to drug law enforcement agencies with Operation Green Harvest. The focus of that operation was

directed at marijuana eradication; that continues to be the primary

criteria for our funding to this day.

Our support to law enforcement agencies and community-based

organizations are sanctioned and approved by the Governor, State

Adjutant General, State Attorney General, and the National Guard

Bureau under the provisions of Section 112, Title 32, United States

Code. Each year we develop the Governor’s Counterdrug Support

Plan that delineates the support requirements established by local

law enforcement and community-based organization. The three

State leaders mentioned earlier certify that Hawaii National Guard

soldiers and airmen can support counterdrug activities complying

with State Law and Section 2012(d), Title 10, United States Code

to meet the requirements of each fiscal year’s Defense Authorization Act.

Presently, the fiscal year 2000 plan provides Hawaii National

Guard personnel services and equipment to support the drug law

enforcement agencies mission of not only eradicating domestically

grown marijuana, but also interdicting illicit drugs entering Hawaii, and providing drug demand reduction training and resources

to community-based prevention organizations.

National Guard members have significantly participated in this

effort as I will elaborate further in my testimony. Our support covers a wide range of activities including, but not limited to, aerial

and ground reconnaissance, intelligence analysis, and cargo inspections at ports of entry. The operations also include administrative

and logistics support to release commissioned law enforcement personnel to perform their duties on the street.

Our counterdrug organization consists of 63 Hawaii National

Guard personnel. The agencies that we support include the Federal

Bureau of Investigations, U.S. Attorney, U.S. Customs Service,

U.S. Marshals, Drug Enforcement Agency, U.S. Coast Guard, the

Department of Public Safety State Narcotics and the four county

police departments.

We provide intelligence analysis and investigative case support

to the FBI’s Narcotics Vice Airport Detail, the Western States Intelligence Network, and the county police departments’ criminal intelligence units. We actively participate in reviewing and analyzing

collected information and provide legal, paralegal and auditing assistance that optimizes law enforcement agents to perform drug enforcement duties. We also provide communications support in establishing, operating and maintaining equipment for counterdrug

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operations. We’ve used Hawaii National Guard equipment to detect

crack houses, to clear gambling huts and shacks and dog pits and

chicken fighting areas where drugs were prevalent.

We also provide transportation support to enhance the law enforcement agencies and community organizations. Our support constituted mass movement of sheriffs to conduct prison raids and provided vehicles for tactical tracking in Hilo. In addition, our equipment has been utilized to participate in search and rescue missions

and assist with security requirements during events and conferences. We transported over 400 of the 34,000 during the Millennium’s Young People’s Congress in October 1999, and provided administrative and logistical support for the ‘‘Ready to Learn’’ program that delivered school supplies to more than 30,000 children

statewide.

We utilized both Hawaii Army and Air National Guard CH–47,

C–26 and C–130 assets to assist in missions such as transporting

the State Department of Public Safety during prison shake-downs

combating drug trafficking on neighbor islands, working with the

Maui Police Department during community policing, vice narcotics

and special operations, and assisting State narcotic agents in completing their drug investigations. We collaborated with the Department of Education in assisting Sam Choy, one of Hawaii’s nationally renowned chefs, to conduct cooking presentations and promote

drug free awareness through his ‘‘Forget the Crime, Cook the

Grinds’’ vignettes. We have been a team player with the HPD’s

gang detail and DARE contingencies to fostering drug awareness

through their ‘‘Teen Dances’’ and ‘‘No Hope in Dope’’ programs, and

airlifted FBI and DEA surveillance personnel and vehicles for

counterdrug missions.

Our personnel at the U.S. Customs Service inspect 100 percent

foreign mail, all inbound international luggage and randomly check

domestic luggage, perform 100 percent inspection on foreign ships

and cargo, and assist in random inspections of domestic and international planes.

We provide training in the form of safety observed familiarization for law enforcement agents authorized to sit in the OH–58A

helicopter front seat in Operation Wipeout—marijuana eradication—issues. In January 2000 we provided Power Point presentation classes for Western States Intelligence Network personnel to

enhance case agents’ capabilities to share critical information for

ongoing investigations. In our efforts to address the employment

and quality of life issues with the Waimanalo community, our

counterdrug members have provided computer training to adults

and eventually expanded this training to the children. Likewise, we

have trained our guard members in computer, clerical, research

and various administrative skills to better serve the law enforcement agencies.

As part of our drug demand reduction efforts, we have instituted

various training venues. Parent to Parent Training empowers parents and guardians to confront critical issues concerning drugs,

gangs, sex, violence and values. Safe Passage Training is phase two

of our parent training that emphasizes nonviolence and positive

role modeling.

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Na Koa Ku Makani—The Warrior Who Stands Against The

Wind—is a drug free day promoting family activities done in partnership with Housing and Community Development Corp. of Hawaii for community and National Guard parents and children with

informational booths and games. Throughout the years we have

supported children and youth day programs, community action

seminars that mobilize communities to take action in preventing

crimes in their neighborhoods, Department of Education’s Elementary School Attendance Program, recently a new program that assists parents of elementary school children improve school attendance through a mandated program. Our training to youth challenge

program participants have been a positive influence to high school

‘‘at-risk’’ students.

Our funding has grown from $159,000 in 1989 to $1.9 million in 1997. However, it has decreased by $200,000 each year since then.

In our efforts to stabilize the budget, we enlisted congressional support and received additional funding through a plus up in congressional appropriation based on Hawaii’s rating as the premiere

State in outdoor marijuana eradication. As a result, our budget has

increased to a total of $4 million in fiscal year 2000.

Without congressional support Reconnaissance and Interdiction Detachment [RAID] Mission would cost approximately $1 million,

and thus any additional support to law enforcement or communitybased organizations would be minimized or terminated. The Hawaii National Guard’s RAID program is the only military resource

available to address the State of Hawaii’s unique challenges of

marijuana cultivation.

In summary, the Hawaii National Guard Counterdrug Program

is a proud and rich heritage in providing for the defense of our

communities. We have been and continue to be staunch supporters

of our law enforcement organizations in their valiant efforts to minimize and eventually eradicate illicit drug productions, trafficking

and use in Hawaii. Our drug awareness programs have been successful in developing and fostering drug free environments for parents, children and neighborhood communities.

In addition to supporting our efforts to stabilize the Hawaii National Guard’s $4 million budget, we also solicit your support for

the National Guard’s 4,000 soldier/airman end strength and $192

million budget for fiscal year 2001. This will ensure the continued

support of the Hawaii National Guard Counterdrug program for

Hawaii’s law enforcement agencies and community organizations.

Thank you for the opportunity to provide you an insight into the

Hawaii National Guard’s contribution to the counterdrug efforts.

Mr. MICA. Thank you for your testimony.

[The prepared statement of Major Tom follows:]

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Mr. MICA. I thank all the witnesses on the second panel.

I have some questions. First, Dr. Sakai, you describe the prison

population that’s dramatically increasing and most of them got

there because of some drug-related offense.

Describe the type of offenses—you also—and I think I believe I

got this correct. You have a combined sort of local jail and State

prison system?

Mr. SAKAI. That’s correct.

Mr. MICA. Sometimes I hear this, that the people behind prison

in these large numbers are there for minor marijuana personal use

or offenses. Is that the case with your prison population? Describe

what kind of offenses that your prison population and your increase in prison population are there for.

Mr. SAKAI. Our prison population consists of about 26 percent

violent offenders, 111⁄2 percent sex offenders, 16 percent property

offenders and about 18 percent drug offenders. In addition there is

171⁄2 percent consisting of probation and parole violators. Unfortunately, our information does not yield the crime that they committed.

Mr. MICA. The drug offenses which account for 18 percent, would

that be primarily trafficking? What would be the breakdown?

Mr. SAKAI. I don’t have that breakdown.

Mr. MICA. Can you guesstimate? I mean are these people there

for possessing a small amount of marijuana or are they there for

violation of trafficking laws and quantities?

Mr. SAKAI. I don’t want to guesstimate. I would prefer to see if

I can get back and get better numbers.

Mr. MICA. Would you provide us with that?

Mr. SAKAI. Yes, I can. But, Chairman Mica, if I can say, I believe

that the majority almost all of them are there for trafficking, or if

they’re there for small amounts, they are there because they are

repetitive drug users who failed—they were given the opportunity

to get treatment in the community.

And it is my impression that the court and parole systems in the

State of Hawaii are fairly liberal. I have spoken to the heads of

probation and parole and both have indicated to me that their policy is to not return a violator to prison until, perhaps, their third

violation. So if they are there for a small amount they are there

because they are repeat offenders.

Mr. MICA. Major Dowsett, you are seeing these people on the

streets. What are you arresting them for as far as it relates to drug

offenses? Possessions, and what kind of possession, trafficking, felonies committed under the influence of narcotics?

Major DOWSETT. All kinds, actually. We have the one Weed and

Seed area and of course any violation or even seen in the Weed and

Seed area would subject them to an arrest. Possession, distribution,

primarily. And that would pattern what Mr. Sakai was saying.

Normally before they actually get to jail they have had a whole

lot of other options. We have drug court. The prosecutors don’t always include the meth language when we go to court so we can circumvent the mandatory sentencing there. We really do see a variety.

Mr. MICA. Of that property crimes, it sounds like property crimes

were the biggest percentage, Dr. Sakai; is that correct?

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Mr. SAKAI. Actually violent crimes.

Mr. MICA. Violent?

Mr. SAKAI. Violent.

Mr. MICA. Was that 16 percent?

Mr. SAKAI. That was 26 percent; 16 percent was property.

Mr. MICA. 26 percent were violent?

Mr. SAKAI. That’s correct.

Mr. MICA. And what are you seeing with the violent crimes,

Major Dowsett, are they drug related?

Major DOWSETT. Virtually all of them are drug related in one respect or another.

Mr. MICA. Property crimes.

Major DOWSETT. Yes. (Inaudible.) Even your misdemeanor offenses a lot of them are drug related, you know, petty thefts to get

money for drugs.

Mr. MICA. On the correction side, Dr. Sakai, you said—you gave

us a couple of figures here; 95 percent of those in prison have a

substance abuse problem, was that——

Mr. SAKAI. 85 percent.

Mr. MICA. 85. I want to make sure I get those numbers correct.

And how would you break that down between alcohol and narcotics?

Mr. SAKAI. It is my impression that what we are dealing with is

addictive personalities where ice happens to be the drug of choice.

I think virtually all of them will use alcohol if that’s what it takes

to get high.

I have been in the system for about 30 years and that’s the biggest change I have seen in the makeup of the criminal population.

When I started we couldn’t identify the type of person who used

marijuana versus the type of person who might have used heroin.

My impression today is that a drug user will use whatever drugs

becomes available until he or she gets addicted to the drug, and alcohol is a factor.

Mr. MICA. The program I visited had about 200 folks in it, Kash

Box. That’s your major program in Hawaii?

Mr. SAKAI. That’s correct.

Mr. MICA. And you said you had a small one for female population?

Mr. SAKAI. At our women’s facility we have a program for

about—we have a maximum capacity of about 15.

Mr. MICA. In your State prison what kind of drug treatment

programs——

Mr. SAKAI. We have a small counseling program, and we have

three staff at our prison.

Mr. MICA. I didn’t get the budget for the program yesterday but

do you know what the Kash Box annual budget is?

Mr. SAKAI. I would have to go back.

Mr. MICA. If you could provide that for the record I would like

to see that because it seemed like it served a large, fairly significant population for a small amount of money. You don’t know what

it cost per day?

Mr. SAKAI. No. Treatment programs in prison tend to be a little

less expensive than in a community because the inmate spacing

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needs are already taken care of through the correctional budget;

their care, shelter, and food.

Mr. MICA. But if the figures I got are correct, and I’m not sure

what it does cost you to incarcerate someone in the State system

behind bars in a secure facility as opposed to treatment programs

there, it seemed like it was actually less per head for the treatment

program than it was for doing hard time.

Is that correct?

Mr. SAKAI. It would depend on the treatment program.

Mr. MICA. Well, you’ve got that one treatment program.

Mr. SAKAI. Well, let me get the figures for you.

Mr. MICA. If you could. Because if that’s the case and again I

heard some figures yesterday and I haven’t had them substantiated, but it looked like it was fairly reasonable to put them in

that program, and it seemed like it also takes a burden off the

State to put more people in that program as opposed to doing hard

time.

We also had commentary from those who participated in the program. One of the comments from one of the prisoners was that the

hard time they came in and left even more hardened, inclined to

have criminal skills as a result of the time in the tougher prison.

And of course you can’t shift everybody into these programs, but

if it’s cost effective it might be something we would want to encourage supporting (inaudible).

Mr. SAKAI. I will get you the figures.

Mr. MICA. I appreciate that.

Mr. Aycox, how many full-time Federal slots does Customs have

here?

Mr. AYCOX. In the port of Honolulu I have a total of 185 people.

Mr. MICA. Chronologically in the past few years, has it increased,

decreased, stable?

Mr. AYCOX. It has in the last, say year or so, dropped a little bit.

Mr. MICA. Dropped a little bit. And is that just this location, or

I’m not sure if there are other assignments in Hawaii? Are you taking all of Hawaii or just Honolulu.

Mr. AYCOX. The number I quoted referred to the uniform contingent. The group I supervise—my counterpart Larry Burnett supervises a group of investigative agents and they have decreased staffing somewhat over in the last couple years as well.

Mr. MICA. We had testimony from Major Dowsett that 90 percent

of the stuff is coming in by air. I think that was your testimony.

What are we missing with Customs to not be able to catch more?

Do we not have the enforcement power, or the technical capability,

or just the sheer volume.

Mr. AYCOX. Well, I think the statement was made 90 percent by

air that included domestic and international air. And I think that

the available intelligence indicates that the majority of it is coming

in domestically, which of course we are not empowered to deal with

except in support of the other agencies.

Mr. MICA. (Inaudible) coming through from the mainland, DEA,

is that more their responsibility than yours?

Mr. AYCOX. It’s a function of the task force which we supplement

by HIDTA as well.

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Mr. MICA. So you think that would have a better coordinated effort utilization of (inaudible) or at least detect coming through the

airport.

Is there something missing at the airport on domestic flights that

we aren’t doing?

Mr. AYCOX. I would defer on that to the other agencies because

I believe that’s their question to answer.

Mr. MICA. Leonhart.

Ms. LEONHART. I would say we are doing a very good job with

the limited resources we have.

Mr. MICA. How many do you have?

Ms. LEONHART. Currently at the airport we have eight task force

officers and we have three special agents working cases with one

DEA supervisor. Those numbers have been stable for over the last

3 or 4 years.

What we are really lacking is increases in our personnel on the

other islands because you’ve heard testimony, that we are very concerned about traffickers now using the airports on the other islands.

Our relationship with Honolulu PD in these interdiction efforts

is outstanding, and what we are finding, the more we are working

together on the air threat, the more intelligence we are actually

passing from Los Angeles on these trafficking organizations to the

airport detail and the more arrests we are able to make, I see the

HIDTA as a great supplement here. If DEA were to get additional

resources for Honolulu I would be looking at beefing up the airport

and putting additional resources on the outer islands.

Mr. MICA. It appears the package transport mail, Fed Ex, UPS,

DHL, or other package services also seems to have an increased

trafficking in illegal narcotics. Is that the case, is that something

you have seen?

Mr. AYCOX. Yes. We are seeing both the courier services throughout the Nation and the mail conditions across the Nation with increased interdiction, not only in the traditional drugs, but in the

newer designer drugs, and now in the prescription drugs and

steroids.

Mr. MICA. Are you getting any of the ion scanning equipment

that we’ve ordered?

Mr. AYCOX. We have one ion scanner here that we use on a regular basis. And in addition I believe the National Guard has one

that we share on a regular basis.

Mr. MICA. Thank you. Mrs. Mink.

Mrs. MINK. Thank you very much. I’d like to put some of these

documents that I received into the record and make reference to it.

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Mr. MICA. One is the drug situation?

Mrs. MINK. Yes, the drug situation.

Mr. MICA. By the intelligence division of DEA?

Mrs. MINK. That’s correct.

Mr. MICA. That’s without objection, so ordered.

Mrs. MINK. Trying to get a handle on the total presence of these

drugs in Hawaii, and I’m looking at this first chart on page 1 of

this document talks about drugs seized in Hawaii, 1997, 1998, and

1999. In heroin in kilograms, 2.7; cocaine in kilograms, 32.1; marijuana in kilograms, 42.5; methamphetamines in kilograms, 16.2.

Reference again those figures to drugs seized. What would be the

estimate of, in each of these four categories, of the total presence

of drugs in Hawaii say in that last recorded year 1999? We see the

figure of the amount seized. What would be the total figure of heroin as it is available in Hawaii? Cocaine as available, marijuana,

methamphetamine.

Ms. LEONHART. I’d be happy to answer that by saying that with

the designation of Hawaii or Honolulu as a High Intensity Drug

Trafficking Area, and the funds that will come with that; set up an

intel center, we will have a better idea. One of the frustrations of

running the Los Angeles field division is in Los Angeles we have

had, over 10 years now, had an intel center set up that can give

you good estimates.

There is really no place to go in Honolulu or in Hawaii to find

good estimates. So we look at the trends; we look at what has the

DEA seized; we go and look at State seizure numbers. But I don’t

feel comfortable, I would say, that that’s where we’re hoping

HIDTA fits in. I don’t feel comfortable that we know the numbers

that we have not seized. I can also tell you that the numbers are

a little bit deceiving because the use of—like Congressman Mica

said—the use of the parcel, the UPS, the Fed Ex, we are seizing

great quantities in Los Angeles and southern California that are

destined for Honolulu which don’t show up in these numbers, and

we are also through airport interdiction, especially at LAX Airport,

we are able to interdict those drugs before they ever get on the

flight to go to Honolulu. So those numbers really only represent the

drugs that were seized by DEA and sent to DEA laboratories.

Mrs. MINK. Could we have those figures of the drugs that are

seized on the West Coast that were bound for Hawaii so we can

get a better view of the interdiction and the potential traffic that

at least has been stopped on the West Coast?

Ms. LEONHART. What I can do—we started looking at it, because

there is a trend as the Mexico based organizations have moved over

to Honolulu, we are keeping track of what we can. There are no

statistics; we haven’t been keeping them for a long period of time.

We recognize that this is a trend to watch.

I will try to come up with some numbers for you or some anecdotes or cases where this has occurred and you will see where we

see the trend going.

Mrs. MINK. Now, on the last page you have the data on marijuana. And it is the table which shows the amount of plants that

were seized, outdoor plants, 627,000, indoor plants, 1,489. Total

plants seized/eradicated 629,000.

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What would be the percentage—what would that constitute as a

percentage of the total amount of marijuana plants in existence in

cultivation in Hawaii today?

Ms. LEONHART. Again, what I would have to do is go and find

out what the estimates are. I know that we have probably the most

successful of the domestic canvas eradication programs running in

Honolulu. I would have to go to that program and find out for you

the estimates on what is grown that we don’t eradicate.

Mrs. MINK. Now, of the marijuana that you interdict leaving Hawaii in all the different channels that are available, what is the

total amount that is actually found or interdicted leaving Hawaii

in all the different ways that it could possibly leave, postage express, air travel, whatever.

Do you have any figures there?

Ms. LEONHART. I don’t have figures with me. I would be glad to

look to see if those numbers are kept and provide you with that.

I can tell you, because I handle Los Angeles, that we are still seeing bulk shipments of marijuana coming from Honolulu to the

mainland. However, there are active growing sites in California.

We’re still seeing importation of Mexican marijuana into southern

California as well as Canadian marijuana. So it would not be a

large percentage but there still is marijuana that is being transported to the mainland.

Mrs. MINK. Mr. Aycox, in your testimony on the last page you

said you were hoping the members could clarify your authority to

inspect outbound mail parcels.

Could you elaborate on that.

Mr. AYCOX. Yes. There is a continuing long-term difference in the

interpretation of the existing statute as to whether or not Customs

has the authority to examine outbound mail. We believe, and our

counsel advises us, that the existing statute gives us that authority. The counsel and the managers of the U.S. Postal Service have

a different interpretation.

Mrs. MINK. So does that mean you do not inspect outbound parcels?

Mr. AYCOX. That’s correct, on a regular basis we do not. The only

time we would do so would be on a special task force, where we

would work with the Postal Service and they would get a warrant

on each and every package to be examined.

Mrs. MINK. So does that need to be clarified by a statute, an enactment by Congress or this is just internal interpretations and we

would need to bear down on the Postal Service?

Mr. AYCOX. I believe it needs to be clarified to make it very clear

that we have the authority——

Mrs. MINK. By statute.

Mr. AYCOX. Well, I do want to say that we have a very good

working relationship with the Postal Service across the Nation.

Mrs. MINK. This interpretation applies nationwide, not just to

the activity here in Hawaii?

Mr. AYCOX. Correct, it’s nationwide.

Mrs. MINK. Now, with respect to inbound parcels, you have authority and capacity to inspect all inbound?

Mr. AYCOX. Yes, we do.

Mrs. MINK. Both the express mail and UPS as well as the postal.

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Mr. AYCOX. We have that authority. However, here in Hawaii

there is no express consignment hub; most of that examination is

done in Memphis or in Cincinnati or one of the other hubs where

Fed Ex or UPS, or in Miami.

Mrs. MINK. So when it lands here you make no inspection?

Mr. AYCOX. Typically, no, because it comes in as a domestic shipment.

Mrs. MINK. So what percentage do you think comes in here with

no inspection at all.

Mr. AYCOX. From the other—— Mrs. MINK. For the western sites since there is no inspection.

Mr. AYCOX. Well, there are Customs officers at each one of those

locations and they target the shipments and inspect them if necessary for examination.

Mrs. MINK. Isn’t that inconsistent when you say you don’t have

outbound authority?

Mr. AYCOX. No, I don’t understand.

Mrs. MINK. This is outbound coming to Hawaii and you’re saying

your officials have the task to inspect outgoing parcels before they

get here.

Mr. AYCOX. I misspoke. What I meant to say was that these are

international shipments that arrive in the United States at one of

the other hubs in those cities, such as: Memphis, Miami, Cincinnati—which are some of the other locations. So they are inbound

international shipments which are inspected by Customs at that

time and then they are shipped here as part of a later continuing

journey as domestic cargo.

Mrs. MINK. How about domestic trans-shipments then from West

Coast or other points not international cargo?

Mr. AYCOX. We don’t have any authority to examine domestic

cargo.

Mrs. MINK. You have no authority to investigate incoming and

outgoing, both ways.

Mr. AYCOX. Domestic cargo, correct.

Mrs. MINK. So the seizures that are made by Customs extensively relate to what types of situations if it’s not the express or

the Postal Service?

Mr. AYCOX. Our seizures throughout the Nation and specifically

here in Hawaii are related to inbound international people, vessels,

aircraft, cargo, merchandise—whatever it may be—that’s entering

that particular location for the first time. And we also examine outbound cargo people, vessels that are going direct outbound from the

site as well.

Mrs. MINK. That is travelers as well as parcels?

Mr. AYCOX. Yes.

Mrs. MINK. That are leaving the State you have authority to inspect?

Mr. AYCOX. Correct, if they are going internationally.

Mrs. MINK. But not domestic.

Mr. AYCOX. Not domestic.

Mrs. MINK. Dr. Sakai, on your treatment programs, apparently

the facility that we visited yesterday with the 200 beds is basically

the totality of your extensive long-term treatment program for the

inmates in your prison system.

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Mr. SAKAI. Pretty much so.

Mrs. MINK. And this 200 bed facility is only recent, about a year?

Mr. SAKAI. The program actually started with Federal funds

about 10 years ago, but was very small until about a year ago

when we were able to expand it to 200.

Mrs. MINK. Was that because of Federal funds or because the

State gave you more money?

Mr. SAKAI. The State did give us more money in response to the

overcrowding problem. The Governor and the legislature supported

our proposal to expand the Waiawa facility by 200 beds.

Mrs. MINK. Are there any Federal funds in there now?

Mr. SAKAI. No. However, we use Federal funds to support our

Bridge program which is a transitional program for Kash Box graduates.

Mrs. MINK. Now, is the Bridge program which is transitional

after they leave prison, after going through Kash Box, is that adequate to service all of your inmates that have been released from

prison after having gone through Kash Box? Because we heard differently yesterday, that it was inadequate.

Mr. SAKAI. It certainly is not adequate. We don’t have enough

slots, only 30 slots there.

Mrs. MINK. Who pays for Bridge, is that State or is that Federal?

Mr. SAKAI. That’s federally funded right now. And Bridge is actually located within our jurisdiction. It’s a work release program.

Mrs. MINK. They have not really been discharged from the system.

Mr. SAKAI. That’s correct. The real need—I believe we could use

at least twice as many beds as we have now.

Mrs. MINK. So you’re saying that you could use 400 instead of

the 200 you now have?

Mr. SAKAI. No. I was speaking of Project Bridge.

Mrs. MINK. What would be the maximum size of your Kash Box

facility if you had the funds to expand it, what would you consider

to be a reasonable size program?

Mr. SAKAI. I would, rather than expanding Kash Box I would like

to see if we can replicate similar programs in our Halawa prison

or the new prison we are proposing to build.

Mrs. MINK. At Halawa why can’t you replicate it there at

Halawa? They’re already there; they’re already incarcerated, you

don’t have all the costs for residential expenses as you would normally if the person is outside. A treatment program outside is very

expensive because the individual has to be kept as a residential patient for a considerable length of time, 6 months and plus. But in

the prison situation they are there so you have no costs attributable to the residents and all the other facilities. So why can’t you

just sort of take a part of Halawa and dedicate it to drug treatment?

Mr. SAKAI. There are two reasons. First of all, we don’t have the

staffing to run the program for the treatment component. And second, because of overcrowding, it’s difficult for us to dedicate any

portion of Halawa. Halawa was designed to hold 586 inmates and

we are currently holding about 1,200 inmates. So it’s very difficult

for us to carve out (inaudible) and dedicate it to——

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Mrs. MINK. But then you answered my question. Instead of increasing Kash Box from 200 to 400, you said you would rather have

a similar facility in Halawa. So what specifically were you talking

about doing in Halawa?

Mr. SAKAI. The reason I mention that is because Kash Box is for

inmates who qualify for minimum security. And many inmates who

need treatment are not in that level of security classification, and

we would be reluctant to put them in Halawa because they pose

a risk, not only to the management of the facility, but also to the

community.

Mrs. MINK. So are you saying that there are none who would

qualify for Kash Box beyond the 200 you now have because of the

security aspects of it?

Mr. SAKAI. No, I’m not saying that. What I’m saying is that the

greater need would be for high-level security inmates, that also

need treatment.

The other factor for us, Congresswoman Mink, is that we have

1,200 inmates on the mainland including about 1,100 men. And unfortunately, some of our best candidates for treatment have been

shipped off to the mainland because of certain qualifications for inmates to be shipped off to prisons out of State, which was established in our contracts. Unfortunately some of our best inmates,

our prime candidates, are there.

Mrs. MINK. I don’t understand. What do you mean your prime

candidates have been shipped off?

Mr. SAKAI. Inmates who are most amenable to treatment.

Mrs. MINK. Are they getting treatment in their mainland facilities?

Mr. SAKAI. There is some treatment going on, but it’s very limited and because we don’t constitute the entire population. (Inaudible) need for treatment slots for inmates from other States.

This is why we are proposing to build a new facility in Hawaii

to bring all of these people home. We would like to make the treatment intensive and to dedicate substantial portions of our new facility to that treatment.

Mrs. MINK. Why do you feel you have to ship out of Hawaii your

best candidates if you are sending them to a facility that has no

treatment program?

Mr. SAKAI. Because the contracts that we have allow the contractors to select the particular inmates that they’re going to have. So

we allow them to take a look at the inmates who are candidates

for transfer, and many of the inmates who remain back in Hawaii

present particular kinds of problems—security problems, health

problems or mental health problems—which makes them difficult

to handle.

The first consideration we had when we set up these contracts

and selected the facilities, was to relieve overcrowding.

As I indicated, Halawa is still more than double it’s design capacity, and it’s sort of the first relief that we need to bring upon our

system is simple total relief from overcrowding.

Mrs. MINK. Now, with reference to Kash Box and the inmates

that have gone through it and have been released and are outside

the prison system, the chairman asked you some questions about

recidivism. It’s a very important element for our consideration in

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terms of the validity of investment and treatment programs. You

want to see some evidence that it is working. And I realize that the

transition is not really fully in place, but given your experience in

the last say 5 years with Kash Box, what is the recidivism of these

individuals that have gone through Kash Box? How many of them

have had to come back in?

Mr. SAKAI. I believe the number is somewhere between 30 to 40

percent.

Mrs. MINK. Have returned.

Mr. SAKAI. That’s correct. But we are dealing with people that

have serious drug problems. And my understanding is that without

treatment the return rate is somewhere in the vicinity of around

70 percent. So we believe there is a substantial effect.

Mrs. MINK. Have you had the opportunity to examine what

you’re doing with Kash Box as compared to what other prison institutions in other States are doing? And how does it compare in

terms of recidivism?

Mr. SAKAI. We never really formally studied or had a formal

evaluation of Kash Box. I think it’s very important that we do so.

The numbers that I have used is based simply on our tracking of

inmates that have gone through the Kash Box program. I think it

is important for us to take a look at what’s being done in other

States. We are in contact with other jurisdictions, and I believe the

prevailing research would indicate that treatment is effective as

long as there is continuing care in the community.

Mrs. MINK. The inmates we spoke to yesterday pointed out, that

they felt that while they were sure they had benefited from the

program while they were there, there is still an element of uncertainty as to what they will face when they get out; can they get

a job and all of those things. So the transition issue, I think, is

very, very vital.

Incidentally, Mr. Chairman, before I conclude my questioning, I

have to tell the Public Safety Director that they made one request

of me yesterday as I went to meet the inmates who were out there

in the lawn. They want a basketball court.

So I have transmitted their request to you.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Mr. MICA. I want to thank each of our witnesses this morning

for their contribution.

As I have said before we will leave the record open. We have

asked some questions which we would like your response, and we

may be submitting additional questions.

Mrs. MINK. One more request. I received in the mail a very fine

report from the National Guard on their drug program. I would

like to ask unanimous consent that that report be placed in the

record together with his testimony.

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Mr. MICA. Without objection, so ordered.

Again, I thank each of the witnesses for their testimony today.

At this time I will excuse this panel and call our third panel.

Our third panel today consists of two individuals. One is Sara

Cunningham, Hawaii State Student Council. The other one Chris

Taketa; is that correct?

Mr. TAKETA. Taketa.

Mr. MICA. And he is also with the Hawaii State Student Council.

And as I have informed the other panelists, this is an investigation. It’s an oversight panel of Congress and I’m going to swear you

in, if you would please stand.

[Witnesses sworn.]

Mr. MICA. I would like to welcome each of you.

Mr. MICA. We will recognize first Sara Cunningham, again, from

the Hawaii State Student Council.

STATEMENT OF SARA CUNNINGHAM, HAWAII STATE STUDENT

COUNCIL

Ms. CUNNINGHAM. Good morning, Chairperson Mica and Representative Mink. I’m Sara Cunningham and I’m a sophomore at

Hilo High School located on the Big Island. And I’m a representative to the Hawaii State Student Council.

There is a question that parents always use to describe peer

pressure: ‘‘If your friends were to jump off a bridge, would you

jump too?’’ Peer pressure is no longer that simple. Instead, parents

should be asking their children: ‘‘If your friends were trying to

push you off a bridge, would you try to stop them?’’. Peer pressure is no longer just a force upon your decisions. It has

become a way of thinking and acting. Weekend partying, for example, has become a way of life for many teenagers in my home town

of Hilo. At these parties, one will always find alcohol and cigarettes, and on occasion illegal drugs like marijuana. The actual

parties themselves are not as detrimental as the effects of them.

When the new school week begins, I often hear stories of those who

have gotten drunk over the weekend. People brag about how much

alcohol they have consumed and act as though they have just won

a competition for having been the most drunk.

Those students who have yet to experiment with alcohol or drugs

are tempted by the stories told by those who have already tried

drugs and reported their findings in a lighthearted manner. The

problem lies in the lighthearted manner in which the stories are

told. Who would ever believe the detriments of weekend partying

told in a joking manner? The answer is: hardly anyone.

In elementary school, we are taught to ‘‘just so say no to drugs.’’

And there it is rare for students to ever have to use that line because drugs seldom exist at that point in our lives. In intermediate

school, we have the same phrase running through our heads as we

see the first use of drugs by our classmates. I remember walking

home behind students who were smoking cigarettes and trying to

get away from them so I didn’t have to smell that smoke. Yet in

high school the elementary drug education is truly tested. Although

when you were in elementary school, saying no to your friends in

role playing was so easy, denying your friends when they now stick

a beer in your hand and they say, ‘‘That’s yours’’ is not. Somehow

162

all the information that you gained as a child is no longer applicable to your life. And because it makes little sense to you now, what

is the harm in letting yourself try, just once.

Drug prevention programs, such as DARE, are excellent tools for

elementary school students to learn about drugs and alcohol and

why to stay away from them. However, there is little or no maintenance of students’ drug education as they become older. The one

time teach-them-and-they-will- remember-forever program is no

longer working. As drugs become more readily available, the idea

that drugs are bad for you is not reinforced.

We understand that there are a shortage of funds for drug prevention and limited ways in which the money can be spent. However, we propose that money should be diverted from elementary

programs to intermediate and high schools so that drug education

is spread over more years, rather than compacted into a few

months.

Survey numbers support the idea of increasing high school drug

prevention programs. There have been numerous surveys conducted. The following survey cited is the 1999 Hawaii State Student Council and State Student Conference Legislative Committee

survey, taken at the student leadership workshop, August 4, 1999.

The students surveyed were student leaders from elementary

through high school, so they are answering based on what they see

on their campus. The survey revealed that 112 of 166 students reported that they knew of an illegal drug problem on campus. 147

of 166 students surveyed stated that there is a smoking problem

at their school.

When asked if there were any preventative measures being

taken at their school, 117 of 166 students responded that there are

programs in their school. However, of those 117, 86 replied that

those preventative measures do not work.

I have just learned that the Department of Health in correspondence with the Department of Education has 29 treatment programs

set up in different schools which does not cover the entire State,

but at least there are a few programs.

In other surveys taken by students from across the State, the

Millennium Young People’s Congress Survey revealed that drug

education is a top priority for the new millennium. According to the

national survey administered by the Educational Testing Service

[ETS], in 1998, one of every five Hawaii eighth graders reported

that their school had a drug problem.

It may seem as though there is a drug epidemic in Hawaii. But

I do not see it that way. There are problems, there is no denying

that. But these problems hardly exist in a physical state, but more

often a psychological one. The jokes about using drugs and alcohol

are the main culprits in this epidemic. Just as mathematics is

being taught and built upon in elementary through high school,

drug prevention also needs to be reinforced, maintained, and/or retaught throughout a student’s career.

The question of the bridge is raised again except this time I ask

you: Can you teach me not to jump off a bridge? Can you teach me

to avoid drugs and alcohol so in turn I will try to convince my

friends not to throw me off that bridge?’’ But most importantly, can

you teach us all not to be tempted to go near the bridge?

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And I’d like to thank the people who have helped me prepare my

testimony. I’ve had very little experience with drugs and alcohol— none—except for religious education regarding reasons for alcohol.

And so I had the help of my principal, students from across the

State, my State student council and students from my own school

who helped me to put together this testimony so that I had a full

view of what was happening with students from across the State.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

[The prepared statement of Ms. Cunningham follows:]

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Mr. MICA. The next witness is Chris—is that Taketa? I have

messed it up twice now.

Mr. TAKETA. Taketa.

Mr. MICA. Taketa, very good. And he is with the Hawaii State

Student Council also.

Welcome and you are recognized.

STATEMENT OF CHRIS TAKETA, HAWAII STATE STUDENT

COUNCIL

Mr. TAKETA. Thank you, Chairman Mica and Representative

Mink. My name is Christopher Taketa. I’m a senior at Castle High

School and I’m testifying on behalf of Loni Takeoka who is a senior

at Konawaena High School on the Big Island.

Today, high school is hardly what it was 10 years ago. Every day

students come face to face with obstacles such as violence, drugs,

and endless amounts of peer pressure. Although people don’t realize it, drug abuse is a huge problem in high schools all over Hawaii. I speak from personal experience, after 4 years of attending

high school, I have seen students smoking in restrooms, student

parking lots, campus hallways and the list goes on. The problem

is so common that most students don’t find drug abuse much of a

big deal. Even drug dealing is a very common sight on campus.

And it doesn’t stop there. Students are grossly exposed to drugs

outside of school through parties or other social activities.

Drugs and drug use are everywhere and students like myself are

being exposed to it every day. I have attended numerous conferences and student workshops where time and again my attention was called to the drug problem that exists in Hawaii’s schools.

Surveys taken show that most students are aware of a drug problem in their school and know people who are using drugs, such as

friends or siblings.

The prevention programs I had in elementary such as DARE

were great. They gave us free stickers and they told us things like

‘‘If you smoke you will croak’’ which really scared me and taught

us not to do those things. And they also taught us to deal with peer

pressure. But what about high school? Drug abuse is where it happens in high school. And for those who don’t know, the class of

2000 is no longer smoke free. You may think the students who are

smoking and dealing with drugs are mostly juniors and seniors.

But the kids who don’t seem to be the least bit worried about these

problems are the freshman and sophomores. They see what others

are doing and they don’t see anything wrong with it.

I strongly believe that drug programs for the Hawaii high schools

should be implemented if they are ever going to take steps to solve

our problem. If there were drug programs for high school students,

they don’t exist for every school and are not effective. I understand

that funding for the programs such as DARE are scarce, and perhaps we need to reevaluate our existing programs and find out why

they aren’t effective and fix the problem. Students spend most of

the time during the day at school, so why not concentrate solving

the problems in school for the students on campus. Therefore, those

who can’t get help outside of school and don’t want to tell their parents can find help after school. Kids like freshmen and sophomores

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who can’t drive to abuse centers can get help right on campus and

become educated.

Most of the information I have given you is from personal experience. And I have had friends who have used and abused drugs and

paid dearly for it. And the number of students I see suffering from

drugs seems to increase year after year. I truly hope you have

taken this into consideration and to heart, and maybe 1 day we

will stand proud and say we are drug free.

[The prepared statement of Mr. Takeoka follows:]

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Mr. MICA. Thank you both for your testimony. What level are

you both in school, seniors or juniors?

Ms. CUNNINGHAM. I’m a sophomore.

Mr. TAKETA. I’m a senior.

Mr. MICA. Both in public school?

Mr. TAKETA. Yes.

Mr. MICA. Are drugs readily available in the school you attend?

Ms. CUNNINGHAM. If I wanted to get drugs, I could very easily.

Mr. MICA. What kind of drugs?

Ms. CUNNINGHAM. Marijuana, (inaudible) because it’s grown

heavily in many areas where students that attend my school come

from.

I don’t know too much about the other drugs. I could possibly get

cocaine.

Mr. MICA. What about meth?

Ms. CUNNINGHAM. I don’t know too much about meth. Meth is

not talked about too heavily at our school, because our administration cracks down heavily on it. But marijuana and cocaine.

Mr. MICA. What about your school?

Mr. TAKETA. Mostly marijuana and alcohol.

Mr. MICA. You said you knew students had who had been victims

of illegal narcotics?

Mr. TAKETA. I’m sorry, that was on Loni’s behalf.

Mr. MICA. You’re reading his testimony?

Mr. TAKETA. Yes. But most of what—— Mr. MICA. What about you?

Mr. TAKETA. No, I haven’t.

Mr. MICA. Have either of you seen the national ad campaign or

narcotics ads on television.

Ms. CUNNINGHAM. Yes.

Mr. TAKETA. Yes.

Mr. MICA. What’s your opinion?

Mr. TAKETA. I think they are really effective. I don’t do any of

that either, so it works.

Mr. MICA. What about you?

Ms. CUNNINGHAM. I have seen some ads, but I don’t know exactly

which ones you are talking about because there are many different

ads out there, dealing with peer pressure.

Mr. MICA. But you have seen ads?

Ms. CUNNINGHAM. I have seen ads.

Mr. MICA. What’s your evaluation of their effectiveness?

Ms. CUNNINGHAM. I think they are effective for some students,

but for others, watching a TV ad and having it tell you ‘‘Don’t do

drugs’’ is rather trivial; they think its a big joke. That’s how it’s

taken, as a big joke.

But for many students the ads are very effective because they

see it along with programs that they enjoy watching. But others

who need the person physically standing in front of them telling

them that they need to stay away from drugs in a classroom.

Mr. MICA. And the only drug prevention program that either of

you participated in in school was the DARE program?

Ms. CUNNINGHAM. I actually participated in the AGE program

which is an anti-gang program, but they also discussed drugs because of the relation between the two.

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Mr. MICA. Is that required or voluntary?

Ms. CUNNINGHAM. In eighth grade it was required for health

class, but your parents could sign you off if they did not wish you

to participate in certain segments.

Mr. MICA. Nothing since then?

Ms. CUNNINGHAM. Nothing since then.

Mr. MICA. How about you? Nothing since DARE?

Mr. TAKETA. Nothing.

Mr. MICA. Did you have DARE?

Mr. TAKETA. Yes, I had DARE.

Mr. MICA. Thank you. Mrs. Mink.

Mrs. MINK. Thank you very much. You’re both members of the

student council representing your schools in a State environment?

Ms. CUNNINGHAM. We are representing our districts.

Mrs. MINK. Your district in a State council?

Ms. CUNNINGHAM. Yes.

Mrs. MINK. How often does that council meet?

Ms. CUNNINGHAM. Once a month.

Mrs. MINK. And you have special interest in this drug area?

Ms. CUNNINGHAM. Yes, we do. We work very closely with the

State Student Conference which is where Loni Takeoka is from.

And in that conference there was a resolution that was brought up

about drug prevention and treatment programs. And with our survey results, it has been a major concern students feel we need to

address; because that’s what we do.

Mrs. MINK. So when you adopted this resolution it was specifically to ask the legislature to provide more moneys for student programs that would carry on the message that you all received in

fifth grade. Is that the essence of your resolution?

Ms. CUNNINGHAM. There were two resolutions. One was—basically the combination of both—prevention and treatment. Prevention as a continuation of our fifth grade education becoming more

sophisticated as we get older. And a treatment program for all

schools and students at different levels. Because we see that although there are treatment programs in 29 of the schools, which

is not all the schools of Hawaii, there are more than that.

Mrs. MINK. Recently you testified before the legislature?

Ms. CUNNINGHAM. Yes, I have.

Mrs. MINK. On that particular—how was it received.

Ms. CUNNINGHAM. We had not testified in front of that legislature for that particular resolution because it did not pass.

Mrs. MINK. It did not pass?

Ms. CUNNINGHAM. Did it?

Mrs. MINK. The student council did not pass the resolution on

drugs?

Ms. CUNNINGHAM. No, no. We do not have any control over what

is passed at the State Student Conference. And I think it was

brought up; it did pass the State Student Conference which means

that the State Student Conference planners can continue to pursue

it with the State legislature. And they did. Unfortunately I do not

believe that—I know it was heard once in house education, but unfortunately it was tied up in house finance because of money reasons that we do not have—— Mrs. MINK. Is that this year or last year?

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Ms. CUNNINGHAM. This year.

And so we do not have enough funding to pursue it, although

they did tell us that it was a wonderful idea. We need to find another way to get the funding for it.

Mrs. MINK. Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman.

Mr. MICA. I want to thank both of our panelists in our last panel

for coming forward and providing us with testimony today.

I would like to thank all of those who participated in the hearing

today from various State, local, Federal agencies for providing their

testimony. Hopefully it will help us as we go back and try to do

a better job in trying to direct our resources and Federal attention

to this problem facing not only Hawaii but the entire Nation.

I’m particularly grateful to Mrs. Mink, not only for her asking

and helping to coordinate this hearing and her persistence in trying to bring resources not only to Hawaii but the whole country effective drug treatment and prevention and education enforcement

programs.

But also thank her for her leadership on our subcommittee. We

are a very active subcommittee of Congress with a number of areas

of jurisdiction including national drug policy, oversight of the Department of Justice, Department of HHS, HUD, international trade

issues and also the Department of Education, certainly a broad

area to conduct oversight and investigations. And without her leadership that would be impossible to be effective in that charge.

So I thank her, again, for her work with me. We do that in a

very bipartisan manner in the House of Representatives and I in

the interest of all the people of the country.

Again, thank you, Mrs. Mink. Thank you for again the warm

hospitality. Next time I hope when I come to Hawaii I don’t have

to go to prison, to jail, the police and station and to Weed and Seed

programs so I can enjoy myself with my wife and family. I have

been here a number of times before. But this has been a very productive 48 hour visit for me. And I thank you for accommodating

me.

Mrs. MINK. I thank you very much, Mr. Chairman for your

agreement to come. I know that it really interrupted your regular

schedule to make this long trip out here and for such a short time.

Less than 48 hours.

Mr. MICA. That’s right.

Mrs. MINK. Like a 39 hour trip. I really appreciate it and the

time that you took to do the two field investigations yesterday in

particular.

I hope that the record that we have made today will help our colleagues understand the enormity of the problem that we have here.

And I hope I can get hundreds of copies of the hearings record, and

together with our students and others, prevail upon the State to do

a much more aggressive job in the area of prevention and treatment, which clearly is the area that we have to spend our time and

money in.

Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman.

Mr. MICA. Thank you.

And having completed the other half of my 20 hours of travel, I

may submit your name along with others who represent this area

for congressional medals just for the endurance of traveling back

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and forth to our Nation’s capitol. I honestly don’t know how you do

it, but I admire you and look forward to seeing you on the floor tomorrow morning after we both arrive.

There being no further business to come before the subcommittee

this meeting is adjourned.

[Whereupon, at 12:10 p.m., the subcommittee was adjourned.]

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