National crime experts and drug treatment professionals say that ice is becoming America's drug of choice and is devastating families and communities here and on the Mainland.

Pursuit of the methamphetamine high left one recovering addict essentially homeless, jobless and unable to focus on anything other than getting the drug. "Nothing in life mattered except for that drug," said the recovering addict, who did not want her name published because she has a husband that she met after she got sober, and she wants to protect him from her past.

Ice addiction is "lonely and really degrading. I wouldn't wish it on my favorite enemy. It's really dark," said the 42-year-old, who now works at Hina Mauka, a substance abuse treatment center.

"Meth is increasingly becoming the national drug problem," said Carnegie-Mellon University criminologist Alfred Blumstein. "Cocaine demand is down."

Through August, Honolulu police had 614 ice cases compared with 822 cases in all of 2003. Complaints are investigated and a case is "made" after enough evidence is gathered to issue arrest warrants. HPD is making ice cases at a faster clip than at any time in the past three years.

Ice cases can be made in several ways.

Commonly, ice dealers are targeted and arrested through a combination of complaints collected at the patrol officer level, and investigations conducted by undercover officers. Added to that are cases made after a suspect is arrested for one crime, such as shoplifting or burglary, and then later found to be in possession of ice.

Through August, 44 deaths have been listed as ice-related — a broad category that includes everything from its immediate toxic effects to suicides and homicides committed by people high on the drug.

Those deaths hit an all-time high of 62 in 2002, but last year fell to 56.

Maj. Karen Kaniho, head of HPD's narcotics vice division, attributed the rise in ice cases to several factors, most notably an increase in community awareness and complaints, large seizures, and partnerships with federal law enforcement agencies such as the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

"We are finding people with drugs and drug paraphernalia committing other crimes, like shoplifting, vehicle theft and burglary. During the search we are finding ice in their possession and to me that is showing that people with ice problems are out there committing crimes in order to furnish themselves with drugs," said Kaniho. "We know that more people are now in treatment for ice than alcohol and that really says something about the number of people having problems with it."

The narcotics vice division has two 20-member teams that deal with ice complaints from the community. The division also has two other groups that are cross-deputized with federal law enforcement and work with DEA and FBI as part of the Hawai'i High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Group, a partnership of federal, state and county law-enforcement agencies.

Law enforcement officials acknowledged that treatment and education, especially at an early age, is the best deterrent.

Andy Anderson, CEO of Hina Mauka, a 45-bed facility that is the largest provider of substance abuse treatment in the state, said that his organization is flooded with calls from people seeking help with an ice addiction. Unfortunately, he said, most of those in need of treatment do not have the health insurance necessary to pay for it.

"It (the epidemic) hasn't let up any," Anderson said. "It is getting more severe, based on number of calls, the medical examiner's predictions, and the fact that there are still people out there wanting treatment that can't get it."

Reach Peter Boylan at 535-8110 or pboylan@honoluluadvertiser.com.