Hawaii County Council Rejects "Green Harvest" Eradication Program

By the narrowest of margins, the Aloha State's
Big Island Hawaii County Council has rejected a
state and federally funded marijuana eradication
program known as "Green Harvest." The action came
during a council meeting last week, when the
council tied 4-4 on whether to continue to
support the widely criticized program. The tie
vote meant the motion to accept the funding
failed.
"Green Harvest" began in Hawaii three decades ago
and has been controversial ever since. Many
residents opposed the program, saying low-flying
helicopters searching for pot fields disrupted
rural life and invaded their privacy. Others
argued that the program has done little to
eradicate marijuana and even promoted the use of
other, more dangerous drugs.
By the 1990s, council members heeding public
complaints began expressing reservations about
the helicopter missions. In 2000, they rejected
$265,000 in federal eradication funds, two-thirds
of the program's money that year. But the
following year, they once again accepted the full
amount offered.
But last week's vote means the council will say
"no thanks" to $441,000 in state and federal
funds for "Green Harvest." It also means the
county will save the $53,000 from its own budget
that would have been its share of the operation's
financial burden.
Last month, the council had narrowly approved
"Green Harvest" on a 5-3 vote, but that vote had
to be redone because the council failed to
publish the legislation in local newspapers, as
required by law. That provided the opportunity
for Councilman Angel Pilago to change his vote
and kill the program.
"This will have long-term impacts," Pilago said.
"When we institute programs we, the county
government, need to look at if they are
detrimental to people's rights and the health and
safety of the community. That's what we do," he
told the Associated Press after the vote. "It's
about home rule," he said. "The county must be
assertive and aggressive and not defer certain
powers to the state and federal governments. We
must not cede those powers."
Pilago is running for mayor of Hawaii County, and
his vote on "Green Harvest," as well as his
support for a lowest law enforcement priority
initiative currently underway there, could help
him draw a contrast between himself and incumbent
Mayor Harry Kim, who is a "Green Harvest"
supporter.
"My position is no secret," Kim told the AP. "I
support eradication, as long as it's done in a
way that is not harmful to people who should not
be harmed, as far as noise and catchment systems
and all those concerns. I'm against all drugs.
Marijuana is an illegal drug."