Policy Analysis: Hawaii’s Ice Age

Crystal Methamphetamine in Hawaii:

State Policy Options for Curbing the Epidemic

Prepared for Neil Abercrombie, Governor of the State of Hawaii

By Kristin Hubing, Policy Analyst, State of Hawaii Department of Health

Hawaii’s “Ice Age”

Wayne Tamura, from the town of Kau on the Big Island of Hawaii, remembers a time when his refrigerator was filled with maggots and rotting food. His children were hungry and terrified of him. The electricity was out and the furniture had been repossessed. “I didn’t think about the kids, I didn’t want to spend money on diapers,” he said. “All I wanted to do was smoke.” Wayne, who is now a recovering crystal methamphetamine addict, was in a situation that has become increasingly common across the Hawaiian Islands (Song, 2009).

Methamphetamine (Meth) is a highly addictive stimulant that increases the release of the brain chemical dopamine, producing an intense euphoria and increased wakefulness and physical activity. It is a white, odorless, bitter-tasting crystalline powder that dissolves in water and can be taken orally, intranasally, by needle injection, or by smoking. Long-term abuse has many negative health consequences, including extreme weight loss, severe dental problems, insomnia, mood disturbances, violent behavior, paranoia, and delusions (National Institute on Drug Abuse, 2010).

After declining gradually since 2006, Meth availability has rebounded and is currently at a 5-year high in the United States. The rebound is primarily the result of an increase in large-scale production of the drug in Mexico, which has been accompanied by a decline in price (Meth Project, 2011). The State of Hawaii, which has the highest per capita ice use (“ice” is the slang term for the highly pure, crystalline form of Meth) in the United States (National Substance Abuse Index, 2012), has been particularly affected by the surge (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 2008). Meth was introduced to Hawaii in the 1980s through Asia, but it is mostly imported from Mexico and California today. For this reason, the federal Combat Methamphetamine Epidemic Act of 2005, which regulates over-the-counter sales of ephedrine, pseudoephedrine, and phenylpropanolamine products (ingredients for Meth production), has had little impact in Hawaii (Drug Enforcement Administration, 2006). An astounding 27.2% of drug treatment admissions in the state are for Meth, compared to just 6.3% nationwide (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 2009). Hawaii also leads the nation in the use of the drug amongst its workforce, with a rate that is 410 percent greater than the national average (Kelleher, 2011).

The effects of the widespread abuse of crystal meth are not limited only to the health of the user. An increase in property crimes in Hawaii is largely attributed to Meth addicts in search of money to fund their habit. High rates of domestic abuse are a result of the violent behavior that Meth users often display. Sue Cuffe-Sykos, a drug counselor in the town of Hana on the island of Maui said, “It’s the first time I’ve seen fear. People are afraid of their own relatives.” (Song, 2009) About 85 percent of child abuse cases in Hawaii are thought to be related to Meth use (Wilson, 2011) and the state’s prison population has increased an average of 2.8 percent each year over the past decade, far surpassing the national rate of 1.7 percent (Chesney-Lind and Brown, 2008).