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Drug Abuse

Got someting to say about what you know about drug abuse on Molokai? Say it here.

Crime Wave Brings Pleas to Address Drug Abuse

Thursday, March 20th, 2025

By Jack Kiyonaga, Editor

In the beginning of March, Molokai saw a substantial increase in thefts and break-ins on island. Molokai High School, Ironwood Hills Golf Course, the Seventh Day Adventist Church and a local motorcycle shop all reported burglaries between March 1 and 4, according to Molokai Police Captain Jamie Winfrey. Damages for the thefts are estimated at over $4,500.

According to Winfrey, “crime on the island usually occurs in waves. So, during this particular period, statistically there was an increase.”

The police department is investigating this latest crime surge and working to link cases that can be attributed to a particular person or group.…

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Opioid Abuse Awareness Exhibit

Wednesday, October 18th, 2023

Opioid Abuse Awareness Exhibit

By Jack Kiyonaga, Editor 

Correna Pawn Simao is continuing her work combating substance abuse on Molokai with an informational exhibit at the Molokai Public Library. 

“If we don’t educate the community, how are they going to know?” said Simao. Substance abuse “hits every home, I bet.” 

Simao was a participant in the Overdose Data to Action (OD2A) workforce development program, which ran earlier this year until August. As a conclusion to the program, participants were asked to create interactive programs educating the Molokai community on the dangers of drug abuse. Some participants worked with organizations like Alu Like and the Molokai Hunting Club to design board games or PowerPoints. …

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Addressing Drugs on Molokai

Wednesday, December 16th, 2015

With a recent drug-related shooting fresh on people’s minds, Molokai residents are gathering for a revitalized call to action to address the island’s drug problems head on. More than 40 community members from church representatives to police officers, recovering addicts to government officials, gathered last Friday for a workshop led by Toni Bissen, executive director of Pu`a Foundation, a nonprofit that has created a framework for healing trauma within prison walls. “You look back and we’ve had murder suicides, suicides, domestic violence,” said county council member Stacy Crivello. “We act and then we stop. It’s just our culture, because you know that person and you don’t want to talk about it.…

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Child & Family Service Celebrates New Office

Wednesday, October 29th, 2014

Child & Family Service Celebrates New Office

When Child & Family Service (CFS) first arrived on Molokai in 2008, staff members worked with families in a one-room building in Kualapu`u, according to Nicole Hokoana, CFS’s Director of Maui County Programs. Six years later, CFS has a new, seven-room office on Kaunakakai’s main street, a fresh location for Hawaii’s oldest human service nonprofit.

“We’re all here because we have one thing in common: we love our children,” said Kahu Jimmy Duvauchelle, who came to help bless the new location last Friday. “We wanna give them nothing but the best.”

CFS, which helps families through serious issues that include domestic violence and sexual assault, went from the small building in Kualapu`u to a location next to Hometown Goods on Kaunakakai’s main street.…

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Meth Project Hosts Community Forum

Thursday, April 18th, 2013

 

Former meth users stood before community members last Thursday night and shared how the drug affected them, what led them to recovery and how they are working to reduce the drug’s presence on Molokai.

Georgianna Decosta of The Hawaii Meth Project said she used meth until Honolulu police arrested her in the mid-1990s. Now she goes to schools across Hawaii, educating youth about the dangers of using meth, even just once.

“We’re all about the kids and saving the next generation from this horrible drug,” Decosta said about The Hawaii Meth Project. “When you do this drug, people are left to die.”…

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Kupuna Take a Stand Against Drugs

Thursday, April 11th, 2013

 

Molokai residents concerned with methamphetamine use on the island are working to bring change to the way officials address the issue.

“We’re advocating for a full-time vice officer on Molokai to concentrate strictly on our drug problems now,” states a petition created by a group of kupuna that has garnered signatures and support across the island. Molokai kupuna Judy Caparida said she will present it at the upcoming Maui County Molokai budget meeting on April 15.

“If they were doing their job, we wouldn’t have this cycle,” she said of how police address the widespread use of drugs on Molokai.…

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Two Wheels and a Cause

Friday, February 22nd, 2013

Two Wheels and a Cause

The Sons of Hawaii Motorcycle club revved into town Feb. 15, bringing with them support for a good cause.

Each year the club comes to Molokai with a makana for a nonprofit, and this year they presented Ka Hale Pomaika`i recovery center in Mana`e with $500 to go toward groceries for the house where they offer support and services to people recovering from addictions or alcoholism.

“The Sons of Hawaii wanted to improve the image motor cycle clubs have and reduce the stigma associated with them,” Shari Lynn of Ka Hale Pomaika`i said. “In that way we have a common force.…

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Taking a stand against meth

Sunday, February 10th, 2013

Taking a stand against meth

Five girls from Ho`omana Hou High School saw first-hand how common meth was on Molokai, so they decided to take a stand. Partnering with the Hawaii Meth Project, they began a campaign to bring education and awareness to a community burdened by the dangerous drug. Ingesting Adderall through nasal administration may result in a range of short-term and long-term side effects, impacting both mental and physical well-being. For additional information, one can explore more info regarding these effects.

As part of their project, Makana Nahaku, Jayvelin Tabilangan, Tyliah Kaha`ulelio, Pomai Puailihau and Tati Pa`aluhi educated Molokai Middle School (MMS) students about the dangers of meth last Monday.…

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Drug Busts Highlight Police Efforts

Thursday, January 24th, 2013

Drug Busts Highlight Police Efforts

The Maui Police Department on Molokai brought the community both statistics and words of reassurance that they are working hard to fight drug crimes on the island. According to the DWI Guys offering legal assistance in Syracuse drug enforcement remains a top concern for many residents who testified before the Police Commission last week. But police say, while there’s much left to be done, they are making progress. In the last month alone, Molokai officers handled four “drug-related search warrants involving arrests and seizures,” according to Molokai police commander Capt. John Jakubczak.

The Police Commission is a civilian board independent of the police department that acts as oversight to handle concerns, complaints and suggestions, said Gary Yabuta, Maui County chief of police.…

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Drug Trafficker Arrested on Molokai

Sunday, May 27th, 2012

Spice, incense substances now illegal in Hawaii

Bulgarian national Alexander Dimov, age 33, was arrested on Molokai two weeks ago under federal charges of manufacturing and distributing synthetic cannabinoids, also known as K2, Spice or incense. Dimov was one of four indicted around the U.S. in an international conspiracy for trafficking designer drugs. Dimov appeared in federal court in Honolulu before he was transported to Oregon.

According to a Department of Justice press release, the defendants mixed chemical compounds with herbal exacts, and marketed the products on the Internet. They are alleged to have purchased dozens of domain names, such as “k2drugs.com”…

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