Posted on: Monday, April 29, 2002
EDITORIAL
Hawai'i must kick crystal meth habit
First we congratulate the law enforcement officers who "busted" a major "ice" ring, arresting 40 people in Honolulu, Maui and California. It's a job well done if officials are right that they have interrupted 50 percent of the supply on the Valley Isle.
That's the good news. The bad news begins with the assertion by Maui Police Chief Thomas Phillips that drug busts won't make the crystal methamphetamine problem go away. That will come only when demand for the drug is eliminated, he said.
But it gets worse. Among those arrested are a Maui police officer and a couple of formerly well-known prep athletes. Whether these folks — if guilty as charged — were corrupted by drug use or simply the big bucks involved is perhaps beside the point.
Bad as the picture is from the perspective of suppliers, however, it's simply appalling when you look at the lives of chaotic desperation carried on by users.
City Deputy Prosecutor Christopher Van Marter outlined what investigators believe led to the killing of Tracey Tominaga, 37, in January: that she had rejected the sexual advances of her drug supplier, then had a friend hold a gun to the supplier's head until he apologized.
The supplier, who police identify as Jason K. Perry, 23, then rounded up a group of friends, abducted Tominaga and drove her to an area above Makakilo. Then, police say, she was beaten for about 30 minutes while Perry demanded to know the name of the man who held a gun to his head. After Tominaga provided Perry with a fake name, say police, Perry strangled her to death.
Later, police charge, Perry murdered Edward Fuller to keep him from informing to authorities about the killing.
It is painful to recount such gruesome details in light of the graciousness exhibited by Tominaga's family in thanking authorities and friends in finding her body and helping bring them closure. But it is unwise for us as a society to close our eyes to the sort of behavior that crystal methamphetamine appears to inspire.
These recent stories suggest that we're in real trouble.
