Hawaiian Officer Warns On Cannabis

Hawaiian drug enforcement officer has criticised the New Zealand police's "soft and lazy" stance in dealing with cannabis problems.

Honolulu police officer Leighton Kaonohi, founder of the No Hope in Dope programme, has just returned to Hawaii after a two-week observation trip to New Zealand. During that time he spoke to schools, maraes and the local No Hope in Dope organisation about the dangers of marijuana.

He said New Zealand politicians appeared to be seriously considering loosening the law on cannabis use and possession, and police were half-hearted about enforcing the law.

"I was appalled. In America, I know of no law enforcement agency that would ever succumb to legalisation in any form," he said. "Federal, state and municipal law enforcement agencies continue to take a fervent stand against any form of legalisation - any form ... at all."

He said cannabis was a particular problem among indigenous peoples such as native Hawaiians and Maoris, who were generally in a lower socioeconomic group.

The high proportion of people of indigenous heritage in prisons - 80 per cent in Hawaii and 50 per cent in New Zealand - was a direct result of drug use, he said.

"It's from drug use that people are led to a number of other crimes, from burglaries to homicide."

Despite Hawaii's and New Zealand's relative isolation as island states, he said customs services were unable to stop the influx of hard drugs. He said cannabis was a drug that nations could never afford to legalise, and enforcement needed to take the forefront, along with education. He pointed to Singapore, with its tough anti-drug laws, as an example that New Zealand and the United States could follow.

"The people of New Zealand cannot allow, in any way, shape or form, the legalisation of a drug that's been proven scientifically to not only be harmful to anyone who uses it, but [also] has absolutely no health benefit to users."

Through a spokeswoman, Government duty minister Bill English said cannabis was a controlled drug and it was illegal to possess it.

"The Government has not signalled any intention to change that, but there's a legitimate debate about the best way to avoid the harm it can do," he said.

Mr Kaonohi said he visited medical clinics in Waikato, where children and adults exhibited physical problems and sickness stemming from marijuana use.

A lax attitude to drug enforcement in Hawaii five or six years ago had resulted in problems in the schools and social services, with children and babies impaired by their parents' drug use, he said. More than 1000 "drug babies" were born each year in Hawaii - a problem that New Zealand could also face.

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