Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 28, Number 8, 1 August 2011 — KNOW THE ISSUE: METH -- NOT EVEN ONCE [ARTICLE]

KNOW THE ISSUE: METH -- NOT EVEN ONCE

Last month I attended the Hawai'i Meth Project's Wave 3 media launeh. Chills ran up my spine as I listened to a youth share how meth use left her with kidney problems and required her to undergo blood transfusions. Nina, a resident of the Bobby Benson Center, first started using meth when she was 16. Her vivid testimony is a stark eyeopener for all of us. Statistics from the Hawai'i Criminal Justice Center show that meth accounts for the greatest number of drug charges in Hawai'i. In 2009, 38 percent of those arrested for meth charges were Native Hawaiian. What do you think would happen if you told just five people about how bad iee is, and then they told five people, and those five told another five people? The Hawai'i Meth Project asks thousands of Hawai'i teens to do this

as part of the project's outreach and education in middle and high schools. Hawai'i's 'ōpio have taken up the challenge and are spreading the word - Not Even Onee. Teenagers around the state are signing up to volunteer with the Hawai'i Meth Project. According to the 2011 Hawai'i Meth Use & Attitudes Survey released June 30, 70 percent of Hawai'i teens have told their friends not to use meth, up 1 1 points from 2009. "I think teens volunteer with the Hawai'i Meth Project because a lot of us have friends or family who have used meth and we want to help prevent it," said Kelsie Ferguson, a Kamehameha Schools senior and Hawai'i Meth Project Teen Advisory Council member. "Many teens also see the difference we are making and want to be part of it." Prevention through peer outreach is

essential to fighting the meth epidemic in our state. Two in 10 Hawai'i teens, or 19 percent, report that the drug would be easy to get. One in 10 Hawai'i teens, or 9 percent, report someone has offered or tried to get them to use the drug. Meth use ean lead to high blood pressure, heart and lung disease, paranoia, depression and sometimes death. Breaking the cycle requires support from the entire community. E ho'olaha 'ānō kēia 'ōlelo i nā 'ōpio, mai ho'ā'o iki - Let's all tell our youth, not e\>en onee! The goal of the Hawai'i Meth Project is to reach every teenager in Hawai'i with this message, but they need our help. You ean contact the Hawai'i Meth Project at info@hawaiimethproject. org or by calling (808) 356-8753 to schedule a presentation in your school or community. - Joe Kiihiō Lewis ■