The Honolulu Advertiser from Honolulu, Hawaii • 5

1' GLOOAL A1Q Religion news Aft-Q Hawaiian homes A6 1J" SATURDAY, June 18, 1994 The Honolulu Advertiser CITY EDITOR: Dan Nakaso 525-8090 mm Here is a sampling of questions and responses from an 80-question Department of Education survey on alcohol and drug abuse. More than 33,000 students answered the questionaire last fall. 4 1 f-iimm Do you think there is a drug or alcohol problem among kids attending your school? (Answer: Yes, a lot of kids are using 8th: 26.1 percent 10th: 49 percent 12th: 50.2 percrent to J- Do you think there is drug of alcohol use during the school day at your school? (Yes, both) 8th: 25.5 percent 10th: 44.3 percent 12th: 44.5 percent How difficult do you think it would be for you to get marijuana or hashish? (FairlyVery easy) 8th: 38.6 percent 10th: 63.4 percent 12th: 70.7 percrent "I don't see people doing one thing in particular, just a variety of everything." "I think people drink and stuff to boost their image, their rep. It's also a peer pressure thing." Robert Sanford Punahou Class of '95 How difficult do you think it would be for you to get crystal meth or (FairlyVery easy) 8th: 14.7 percent 10th: 28.2 percent 12th: 34.7 percent "People our age think of drinking and marijuana as nothing. I think of acid as hardcore." Monica Bob Kamehameha Class of '94 Survey indicates alcohol still tops By Greg Wiles and Meredith Desha Advertiser Staff Writers Nearly 90 percent of Ha- waii's public high school seniors say there is a drug or alcohol problem among their peers while 70 percent say it is fairly or very easy to buy marijuana.

are among the findings of a state Department of Edu-' cation study of alcohol and oth-er drug use by public school students. The survey found use of drugs other than alcohol in-' creased between 1991 and 1993, something that also occurred nationally. The department concluded that alcohol continues to be the most popular drug among students (35 percent of seniors say they drink on a regular ba-f sis defined as at least six times a year), but that alcohol Jesse Tomas Roosevelt Class of '96 recent marijuana use than nationally (16 percent). Students interviewed yesterday tended to agree with the findings, which also indicate schools are the main source of alcohol and drug education and that perhaps more family and community involvement is needed in anti-drug education. "I think drug use has remained the same, but that's just what I've seen and heard," said Robert Sanford, who will be a senior at Punahou School in the fall.

"I think people drink and stuff to boost their consumption remained the same during the past two years. While drug use increased slightly 3 percent at grades 6 and 12 and by about 5 percent at grades 8 and 10 the survey determined alcohol and drug use was lower compared to 1987. Also, fewer of Hawaii's seniors (79 percent) have ever had alcohol compared to the national average (87 percent). However, the same comparisons show more Hawaii 12th graders (23 percent) reported "This will be used by our health people in developing curriculum if that is indeed a weak link." Among the goals being mulled by the department are decreasing the percentage of lifetime alcohol and drug use by 1995 and reducing the availability of pot, crystal metham-phetamine and cocaine for high school students. Another suggestion is to increase awareness among parents, families and others of the harm of alcohol use by children and adolescents.

The survey found parents greatly disapprove of alcohol and drug use, but are more tolerant of attendance at a party where alcohol is available. The department, with the help of the Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory, administered the survey to 33,000 students in 226 schools last fall. Students responded anonymously to the survey that is done every two years. image, their rep. It's also a peer pressure thing." Said Monica Bob, a 1994 Kamehameha Schools graduate, "People our age think of drinking and marijuana as nothing.

I think of acid as hard core." The department while happy students recognized schools's drug education efforts said it will continue its attempts to prevent drug and alcohol use. "We feel we have made some progress," said spokesman Greg Knudsen. Resort denies being lax with the disabled pensation, and the hotel owners should also pay civil penalties of up to $50,000, the suit says. Phillips said the law in question is vague, and that its requirement of "readily achievable" improvements in access is subject to a great deal of interpretation. He said the company has hired an ADA expert in Honolulu, Bruce Clark, and Washington D.C.

attorney Jonathan Greenbaum to work on the matter. "We have done a number of things at the property in compliance with the law," Phillips said. "We are working with the justice department." "Obviously, it is a matter of interpretation; what they are thinking and what we are doing are two different things," Phillips said. "There are ramps and curb cuts throughout the property, as well as paved roadways and separate access for the handicapped," he said. "There are still some areas we need to work on, but it's not anywhere near as inaccessible as indicated" in the suit.

By Walter Wright Advertiser Staff Writer Owners of the Royal Lahaina Resort on Maui said yesterday they are attempting to make the property accessible to disabled persons and to comply with the requirements of federal disabilities laws. The resort's owners were sued Thursday by the Justice Department on grounds they violated the Americans with Disabilities Act after a man in a wheelchair was inconvenienced by lack of access to a restroom in part of the resort Ken Phillips, head of corporate communications for Pleasant Travel Service, said yesterday that the individual involved was just 100 yards from a lobby restroom accessible to wheelchairs. "We are not certain as to what all this is about except perhaps money," said Phillips, adding that the person who complained to federal authorities did not mention anything to the hotel management at the time. The man, identified in the suit as Tim Simmons of Hood River, is entitled to com Warren Bolster photo Caught in a rush Joey Valentin of Aiea holds his surfboard wax in his mouth as he cuts out of a wave at the Kaisers surf spot offshore from the Hilton Hawaiian Village. Valentin was planning to wax his board after first paddling out, but the lure of this wave was too good to resist.

Li '503 on Maui call for Okata's ouster By Edwin Tanji Advertiser Maui County Bureau WAILUKU, Maui Dissident members of the Hawaii Government Employees Associ-s ation have filed a petition with union leaders demanding that v. executive director Russell Oka- ta be dismissed. Maui director Ann Nakagawa said she will take the petition signed by 503 Maui members XT'- i i win in 4 Marriage license withheld from homosexual pair By Rath Shiroma Advertiser Staff Writer Two gay men who say they plan to hold their wedding ceremony tomorrow were unable to get a marriage license yesterday. William Woods, publisher of the Gay Community News monthly newsletter, and Marc Thompson, a Honolulu Weekly writer, went to the Department of Health yesterday to get the license. But a department official said the de-partmentwould keep their marriage license application pending the outcome of a court case over same-sex marriages.

The two plan to hold a wedding ceremony anyway tomorrow 9:30 a.m. at Ala Moana Beach Park, just before the start of Gay Pride Parade. Current state law bars marriages between couples of the same sex. But the law is being challenged by three other gay couples and it may take a couple of years before the Hawaii Supreme Court issues a definitive ruling on their lawsuit The ruling could legalize same-sex marriages here. Woods, a gay activist said if same-sex marriages were legalized, he would hold the state responsible for money damages as of yesterday for denying them the marriage license.

1 A 'v white-collar workers. He said he posed many questions over lower bonus payments and lower pay increases provided for Unit 3. Nakagawa, a Maui County juvenile counselor, said she was on the Unit 13 negotiating team and was not familiar with the specifics of the Unit 3 and Unit 4 contracts. "It wouldn't be fair for me to speak on their contract because I might give the wrong information," she said. Villanova said the Maui members were sent a petition signed by 451 Oahu members also demanding that Okata be dismissed.

He said the petition was returned to Oahu for those members to file with the union leadership. The petition says the members do not believe that Okata's actions during the negotiations were in the best interest of the membership and asks the board of directors to dismiss Okata. The petition says that if the board does not act, the signers will seek to decertify the HGEA as their bargaining agent to the next HGEA board directors meeting in Ju-ly. She would not comment on her feel-1 ings about the petition. The petition was given to vwa Okata Nakagawa by 1 social worker Roy Villanova, has criticized the union leadership since the two-week strike in April that resulted in 2 percent pay raises for three v.

HGEA units. Villanova said members are dissatisfied with 'compensation for members of Unit 3, the largest group of Advertiser photo by Bruce Asa to State Health Department official Alvin Onaka, standing, informs gay couple Marc Thompson, left, and William Woods that their marriage license application will be received by the department but not processed until the resolution of legal challenges to the state's ban on same-sex marriages..