Yep it's the drugs.
Right Rance, Hawaii did and still does have a big problem with 'ice' also known as 'batu' which is crystal meth.
If somebody offers you 'pakalolo' you're being offered marijuana.
Hawaiian:
paka (tobacco) +
lolo (numbing, crazy, stupid).
Rough translation would be 'crazy tobacco'
Hawaii has it's own words for a whole bunch of stuff.
This is mostly due to the great influence of the Hawaiian culture and other multi-cultural influences. Though Japanese make up the largest percentage of ethnicity in Hawaii (just under 25%) there really is no majority, in effect everyone there is a minority. Wasn't always that way but in the last 20 years or so that's how it's become. Though if you grouped all asians into one basket that would be over 50% of the population.
There are a couple of bills in the legislature to lessen the criminal offense for possession and use. Though the general thinking is they won't make it through this time around.
House Bill 1192, which makes the possession of less than an ounce of marijuana a civil offense, subject to a $100 fine.
House Bill 1193, would make laws relating to marijuana the lowest law enforcement priority. The language of the bill is similar to an ordinance that Hawaii County voters passed in the last election.
But as the economy tightens and money to prosecute and house prisoners gets harder to come by - they will have a greater chance of making it through.
Hawaii has always been many months behind the national economy. The current economic crises took a little longer to settle in which prompted certain political officials (the mayor of Honolulu is a prime example) to make some pretty ridiculous statements about the state of the economy. That is until it hit like a ton of bricks and the snowball started to roll. Things changed as business after business - both big and small went under, and unemployment started to increase, though it is still quite a bit below the national average. But then again Hawaii's still behind the rest of the US in the economic crisis and will eventually catch up.
Oh well I guess I'm just ranting and have really gotten off course.
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I found it and subscribed to the thread...gosh CD is so massive and if one doesn't know the terms to search...ahhh lost??? 
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