HILO, Hawai'i — The marijuana eradication program on the Big Island hit a political bump when the County Council voted to delete funding for the program from the county budget, but the council isn't likely to end the anti-drug program.

The council voted 5-4 Wednesday to remove $582,000 in federal eradication funding from the budget for the year beginning July 1. Money for the program would be formally excluded from the spending plan if the council approves the amended budget in a second vote on June 1.

However, Councilman Stacy Higa said he actually supports the eradication program, and only voted to remove funding for it from the $359 million county budget for technical reasons. He said he expects the eradication spending request will be re-submitted to the council shortly in a resolution separate from the budget.

Higa said he has always supported eradication and wants the program to continue, but wants police to brief the council on the anti-marijuana effort so the public can hear the law enforcement side of the debate.

Much of the discussion before the council in recent years has focused on complaints from residents angry at eradication helicopters flying over their homes, and "I want to hear the police side of those situations," Higa said.

Higa said he is concerned about the police practice of flying over homes looking for marijuana, and then rappelling from helicopters onto private property to remove the plants growing there. He said he believes that once suspected marijuana is spotted, police should seek and serve search warrants with ground crews.

"It's just like any other crime that's been reported," he said. "Go through due process, protect civil rights and civil liberties."

Big Island Prosecutor Jay Kimura said he believes that helicopter flights to eradicate marijuana would continue even if the county suddenly refuses to accept the federal money for the program. Federal officials almost certainly would make other arrangements to continue the program on their own, he said.

"I believe from a law enforcement perspective it needs to continue in some form, because there's just too much out there, and one of the concerns that a lot of community people have is just the availability of drugs around the island," Kimura said. "Marijuana continues to be a problem in our community affecting our young people."

Large-scale marijuana eradication efforts began in 1978, but police acknowledge they have not been able to wipe out the drug business.

A 2006 report called "Marijuana Production in the United States" said cannabis is the state's leading agricultural crop, with illegal growing operations in Hawai'i producing an estimated 2.38 million pounds worth $3.82 billion. Marijuana public policy analyst Jon Gettman ranks Hawai'i fourth in the nation in marijuana production, behind California, Tennessee and Kentucky.

Reach Kevin Dayton at kdayton@honoluluadvertiser.com.