HPD task force to tackle Ecstasy
By Jessica Webster
Advertiser Staff Writer
Increasing use of Ecstasy among Hawai'i's teens and twentysomethings has prompted the creation of a special police task force.
The Honolulu Police Department created the unit this summer following a wave of Ecstasy seizures by city, state and federal narcotics enforcement officers, in addition to a state Health Department report that identified an increase in use among teens.
Ecstasy is a mood-altering stimulant that creates a strong feeling of well-being, heightens the senses and increases energy. Sold in pill form and often imprinted with logos, it is sold at parties and nightclubs. Young people are its most avid consumers.
Police Lt. Michael Moses said the HPD special unit will concentrate its enforcement and education efforts on Ecstasy, but will also target other "designer drugs" known as GHB and LSD that are often used at raves and clubs.
"A lot of this stuff seems to be on the street now, and they are younger users and younger dealers. We just want to nip this in the bud before it's as bad as it is on the Mainland," Moses said.
The special police unit of one detective and four officers will be talking to young people, but also to businesses that play host to rave parties or nightclub events.
"The raves are expanding, and the whole atmosphere and set-up of dances encourages drug use," said Moses. "We don't want these venues to be promoting this."
Keith Kamita, state Narcotics Enforcement Division chief, said his officers recently purchased Ecstasy in quantities of 50 to 1,000 tablets for as little as $15 a pill.
"Last year, we confiscated the drug in big quantities, but this year we're finding lots of small cases," Kamita said. "It's a very dangerous drug that can cause permanent brain damage like ice (methamphetamine) does. HPD is taking the lead on this task force, and we will assist however we can."
A recent state Department of Health survey of nearly 26,000 public and private school students found that Ecstasy use was on the rise, with 4.4 percent of 10th-graders and 5.6 percent of 12th-graders reporting that they had tried Ecstasy. These numbers still lag marijuana use, which ranges from 12 to 22 percent respectively. But narcotics officials nationwide say Ecstasy is the fastest-growing illegal drug.
U.S. Customs agents confiscated more than 8 million pills nationwide in 2000. That's up from 750,000 in 1998.
Ecstasy has expanded beyond the club scene and is being sold at high schools and on the street throughout the United States, the White House drug policy office reported in March.
Hawai'i narcotics officers are not aware of multiple overdoses or deaths linked to Ecstasy use. They also say it's not being manufactured here; it's shipped from the Mainland to Hawai'i through the U.S. mail or smuggled through the airport.
Kamita said teens are drawn to Ecstasy for its effects, and the drug is often marketed to them as being safe.
"Your sight, hearing, taste and feeling — they're all heightened. So kids in a dancing situation with lights and glow sticks, they feel like they're seeing the Fourth of July in front of their eyes," he said.
