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Shining a light on human trafficking
"We often take for granted our peaceful neighborhoods, but Americans are learning more about the horrors going on behind closed doors in the most unsuspecting areas."
So starts a news release about a Saturday public forum about the serious issue of human trafficking — modern-day slavery that runs the gamut of forced labor, debt bondage, involuntary servitude and sex trafficking.
Speakers at the 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m. event at the Mililani Hongwanji will include U.S. Attorney Florence Nakakuni, Circuit Judge Edward Kubo, Hawaii Attorney General David Louie and others. Today is the RSVP deadline; call (808) 291-6151 or email renemansho@hawaii.rr.com.
Drug tests coming up flat, data show
With all the buzz about marijuana in the news lately, it’s easy to assume that more people are smoking it. But that’s not the case in Hawaii, at least among working people.
Data from a company that conducts drug tests for employers show that marijuana use among Hawaii workers was down 7 percent in 2013, compared to the previous year. Use of methamphetamine, cocaine and opiates was essentially flat. The statistics show that only a very small percentage of Hawaii workers test positive for any drug use — reassuring results by any measure.