Continuing War on Drjugs against voters’ wishes
In 2008, by way of referendum, the citizens of Hawaii County, at least those of us who vote, elected by a majority tally of 66 percent to place the crime of using or selling marijuana in the category of “lowest priority” on the agenda of our police. Shortly thereafter, in utter contempt of that vote the police, along with the FBI, arrested Roger Christie and sent him to federal prison for nearly five years for openly dispensing marijuana in Hilo. Interestingly, Roger authored the referendum we voted for in 2008 and was held in prison without bail for all those years simply because he refused to concede to having been a criminal. The FBI, mainly because of pressure from an ever-enlightening attitude against the War on Drugs and the horror it has brought, eventually let him out.
On Sept. 10, our police, who have always claimed they ignored the vote on “lowest priority” because the FBI didn’t recognize it, arrested Mike Ruggles for selling marijuana at his dispensary , which was reported Sept. 12 in West Hawaii Today. The Feds didn’t make them do it as they claim in Christie’s case, they just decided to ignore the wishes of the people who vote here, as well as medical science, public opinion, and the evolving wisdom of de-escalating police power, along with the injustice of preying upon citizens whose actions hurt no one.
According to West Hawaii Today, the police, acting alone, decided Mr. Ruggles’ dispensary was not real, created a fake identity and fake documents to portray a police officer as a medical patient, and busted Ruggles for filling the officer’s forged prescription.
It’s time for our police department and the courts that sanction it to recognize its role as part of the community, stop creating its own rules, stop promoting the image of Cop on Top and wake up to what is going on in this world around us.
There are, of course, those who consider the War on Drugs to be an effective tool in crime prevention but in reality it is intended to instill fear. Fear only works in the world of the afraid, and the world of the afraid ultimately becomes the victim of the fear it dispenses.
Kelly Greenwell
Kailua-Kona
Insurance can help with air ambulance costs
The article on the front page of the Sept. 8 West Hawaii Today points out the extremely high cost of air ambulance evacuations, but fails to mention that Hawaii Life Flight offers insurance to Hawaii residents to cover this cost, for as little as $30 per family per year. For neighbor island residents that’s a great bargain.
Douglas Perrine
Kailua-Kona