Women's coalition emphasizes drug treatment

By Lynda Arakawa
Advertiser Capitol Bureau

Eliminating mandatory minimum prison terms for crystal methamphetamine offenses is among the proposals that the Hawaii Women's Coalition is endorsing this session.

State lawmakers established mandatory minimum prison terms for felony methamphetamine offenders in 1996. While law enforcement officials have supported such terms, drug treatment advocates and others have said the mandatory minimums have caused the prison population to grow and have diminished the emphasis on substance abuse treatment.

The women's coalition, made up of private and public organizations, agencies and individuals, is advocating the restoration of judges' discretion over crystal meth cases by repealing mandatory minimum sentencing.

The coalition is also endorsing a proposal to divert half of the assets from forfeitures to pay for more programs to treat substance abusers. It also supports a proposal to require that the range and quality of programs for women inmates be equivalent to those for men.

"These aren't women's issues alone — these are family issues," said Annelle Amaral, co-chairwoman of the coalition. "These are not necessarily gender-based issues. They are issues that impact all of our lives — men, women, children, all of us."

The coalition is led by the Hawaii State Commission on the Status of Women and includes Planned Parenthood of Hawai'i, the Hawai'i Uninsured Project and the state Department of Health.

The coalition is again seeking a law that would require emergency rooms to give sexual assault victims medically accurate information regarding emergency contraception and provide such contraceptives to those who request it. Lawmakers passed a similar measure last year but Gov. Linda Lingle vetoed it. Amaral said this year's proposal will address previous concerns by reducing penalties and ensuring that hospitals do not need to provide emergency contraceptives to women who are pregnant.

Other measures endorsed by the coalition:

• Allow terminally ill, competent adults to receive a lethal dose of medication, which would be self-administered.

• Establish an earned income tax credit.

• Prohibit the sale or transfer of biological resources and biological diversity on trust lands.

• Prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation in housing and in places of public accommodations.

• Allow people to register to vote on Election Day at the polls.

Reach Lynda Arakawa at larakawa@honoluluadvertiser.com or at 525-8070.