Trouble In Paradise

Drug Use in Hawaii

For many years, drug use has been an issue in Hawaii. Hawaii was recognized for its hippie movement in the 1960s and 1970s, and it was influenced by drugs like marijuana. In Hawaii, the use of drugs increased in the 1980s during this time and meth usage also became a serious issue in Hawaii. Hawaii has experienced a drug crisis in recent years, with both the use of heroin and abuse of prescription drugs on the rise. The state has responded to the problem with a plan to track prescription medication use and increase addicts' access to treatment. Drug usage has been a problem in Hawaii that the state has struggled to fight through a variety of laws and initiatives. As drugs are still an issue in Hawaii today, there are many opportunities in Hawaii to abandon drug usage. With the help of Ke Ali'i, we have spoken with three important people, Mr. and Mrs. Chester and Lei Baitlon, and Mr. James Cramer who can share their knowledge about the drug problems.. Ke Ali'i is here to help acknowledge the difficulties and effects of drugs and why you should not do them. We will also explore opportunities to get help when being a feen for drugs. 

 Mr and Mrs. Baitlon are a happily married couple with two kids who changed their life when finding out they were going to have a miracle gift from God, her name is Carmindee. Before Carmindee, their was life's not what you think… At the age of 14, both Lei and Chester were heavily influenced by drugs such as meth and marijuana, they would use it to suppress their feelings in their life and used it as an escape. It helped them to function because it allowed them to forget about all the negative things that happened in their life. They were not in their right mind when they were using drugs, some days they would stay up five nights straight, they would steal money from family and friends, and sometimes they would sell drugs just to get drugs themselves. The Baitlons would be in situations where they had nobody in their life but drugs, and at an age so young, they didn’t have the experience to comprehend what they were getting into. At rough times when they couldn't get drugs, they would lose their control and do worse things such as break things, fight, and drink; whatever it took for them to get their hands on drugs which led to more harmful situations. At a young age when starting drugs, it would be a weekly activity but when getting older, it started to be a daily action. 

There are many bad effects on drugs, but the effects that Chester and Lei had was being hallucinated and seeing ninjas in the trees. It came to a point where they wanted to stop because they were tired of it all, tired of not knowing where to sleep, tired of staying up, and tired of fighting with family and friends. Baitlons wanted to change for the better and wanted a better life, so they became sober for 19 years till this day at the age of 33. Another reason they changed for the better was because they had a miracle from God and her name is Carmindee Baitlon. Lei Baitlon recalls, “One night I decided to pray to God and asked God if there is a reason for me to change my life and to make something of myself, give me a sign of God. The next day I got bitten by a spider,  and it got infected so we went to the emergency room and the doctor came back to me saying, “ your spider bite is infected and did you know you’re pregnant?” After this miracle moment, their life changed forever. Chester and Lei both wanted to get help and couldn’t do it without the help of people who cared for them, family, friends and most importantly God. At the age of 33, they noticed how their life flipped completely. They became closer to family, spent quality time with their kids, have great jobs, and lastly, grew a closer connection with God. 

Ke A’li’i asked both Chester and Lei how people can seek help and why they believe that the rate of drug use in Hawaii is such a great number, and they had an outstanding response. Chester shares,“If someone offers you any type of drug, do not take it because once you try it, it gets addicted and your life goes downhill from there. If you do take it, you would have to want to change for the better. You can reach out to family, friends, pastors, and Aloha United Way 211 rehab services for drug addiction. Drug addiction is so high because it’s generational, and it has been scientifically proven that you will likely do it when being influenced by grandparents or parents. There is also a high percentage in Hawaii who are abused mentally and physically and use it as an escape.” There are many drugs out there that can have bad effects on people when being an addict, and who don’t want to change for the better.  The more the drugs become addictive, the more  chances you can get into harm. 

There are also good effects on drugs and what you need to know about it. Ke Ali’i asked biochemist Mr. James Cramer his own thoughts on how drugs can affect your life and how you can get help if you are on them. The reason why marijuana would be a good effect is because it suppresses nausea and helps to get back appetite when not eating. THC can also be a pain medicine, and can also help people with the lack of sleep. Yes, even though there are many positive effects, there is also a negative side that can get you into a lot of harm and problems depending on the way you take marijuana. When smoking marijuana, it can cause lung damage, and chronically lead to cancer. Others like edibles and THC can affect your brain function and also your heart. The reason why when “getting high” your eyes start to turn red is because the heart and blood pressure goes up and the blood vessels become dilated. Other drugs such as crack cocaine that  was invented for poor people to get high off of. Yes, it was expensive to get, but it provided a cheap high which made them addicted to that drug. “Crack babies” were also a generational conception back then, women used to take it while being pregnant and their baby would come out to be deformed, or die shortly after being born. This generation, many adults and teenagers are being influenced to buy vapes to “help them stop smoking” but really, nicotine is a highly addictive drug that makes them keep consuming it. When being highly addicted to drugs, you can ruin your life. 

Ke Ali’i asked James Cramer, how do you know when you are addicted to drugs? He had a remarkable response. “It’s like a video game, it doesn’t have to be a drug, think about the amount of time you spent using something and how is that affecting your life?” 

When you need help to get off drugs, there are many opportunities out there that are willing to help you. There are tons of resources out there that are willing to help, when on marijuana, there are drug rehab programs. James Cramer announced, “ If it is affecting your life, seek out help and look for marijuana counseling, its a psychologically addictive drug and it’s something you need to talk to people about, you cannot just wake up one day and say “Im going to stop smoking.”  

Ke Ali'i desires for others to learn about the seriousness of drugs, the community for the rise of drugs, and how the population of our economy can seek out help when being an addict for drugs. Drugs can be very harmful for all, it may seem like a “cool” thing to do as a teenager, but really, it’s a trap. For adults, it could be a “ tool” for them but it slowly kills them. There are many opportunities out there for people who are drug addicts and those in need to seek help. Do not think you are alone because there are many websites, trusted people, and even strangers out there that you can seek out for help from, but in order to change your life, it depends on you if you want to change for the better or not.