The facts are there. Crystal methamphetamine, or "ice," is the drug of choice in Hawai'i. Per capita, Hawai'i has the highest population of ice users in the nation. Those statistics come from the Bush administration's drug czar.

Yet there's a dismal lack of urgency to deal with this mounting problem. This has become apparent at the national level, but sadly state lawmakers also have yet to grasp the full scope of the problem.

Judging by the Bush administration's anti-meth plan, there is little hope for a full frontal assault anytime soon.

It seems ironic to hear Attorney General Alberto Gonzalez call for "unconventional thinking and innovative solutions," and then to see the plan's weak components. Sales of cold medicines containing pseudoephedrine, a key ingredient in meth, would be limited, but the plan would not seek to keep the items behind pharmacy counters. Under those conditions, any attempt to curb sales is bound to fail.

The $16.2 million for treatment programs in seven states — Hawai'i was not among them — seems a paltry response, too. There's meager hope for a campaign of aggressive criminal prosecution, in any state. Throwing a little money out for the development of a Web site, one feature of the plan, does not constitute even the onset of a war on ice.

Clearly the administration isn't making this a top priority, which makes it all the more imperative that Hawai'i does.

Lawmakers here missed the opportunity to make substantial progress last session, with the debate degenerating into a squabble between those who clamored for more treatment programs and those who favored more prosecution.

Although the state is progressing slowly, with a heightened awareness of ice and increased spending on treatment, it's clear that the problem can't be diminished without dealing with it on all fronts. Lt. Gov. James "Duke" Aiona vows to reassert his plan for prevention programs and strengthened law enforcement. The administration must campaign more forcefully for the plan or lawmakers will, once again, give the whole thing short shrift.

To make the most of limited state funds, a statewide strategic plan that both narrows the arteries supplying the drug and winnows the numbers of drug users is essential.

The crisis won't recede until the real work begins.