Hawaii lawmakers this year weighed a number of options for coping with the problem of opioid abuse, and on July 3 Gov. David Ige approved a law to limit some opioid prescriptions.
Act 66 requires doctors to counsel patients about the risks of opioids for initial prescriptions.
Initial opioid prescriptions would also be limited to seven days except under certain circumstances, such as cancer or post-surgical treatment, or for patients in hospice care.
The seven-day limit on initial prescriptions would also apply to benzodiazepines, which can also be addictive and dangerous if mixed with opioids.
Deaths from drug overdoses, including from opioids, surpassed motor vehicle fatalities for the first time in 2008, according to data from the state Department of Health.
Between 2010 and 2014 opioid pain relievers accounted for 35 percent of the drug overdose deaths. In recent years more than 150 people have died annually in Hawaii from opioid overdoses.
Limited voter information released
HONOLULU >> County clerks in Hawaii are releasing limited voter information to President Donald Trump’s commission investigating alleged voter fraud, but the clerks from Honolulu, Kauai and Hawaii counties said Thursday they’re providing far less information than what the commission wants.
The commission had asked for voters’ names, party affiliations, addresses and voting histories if state law allows release. Hawaii law permits counties to release only names, precinct information and whether a voter has participated in the past two elections.
“If or when we give them this publicly available list of people’s names and precinct numbers, that’s not enough for them to do their job,” said Honolulu County Clerk Glen Takahashi. “It’s actually useless information.”
Takahashi said he’s received calls from voters who are considering canceling their voter registration instead of having their information disclosed to the federal government. He said he tries to reassure them that their personal information is safeguarded.
Hawaii does not collect party affiliations from registered voters. Those who want to participate in primary elections register directly with the political parties.
Maui
Capobianco gets 5 more years
WAILUKU >> A man sentenced to life in prison for killing his pregnant ex-girlfriend was sentenced to five years in prison for burglary, theft and contraband charges to resolve his remaining criminal cases.
Judge Peter Cahill followed a plea agreement in imposing the sentence Tuesday for Steven Capobianco of Maui.
Capobianco pleaded no contest to burglary, theft, two counts of attempted promotion of prison contraband and carrying a deadly weapon.
Capobianco was found guilty Dec. 28 of second-degree murder of his pregnant ex-girlfriend Carly Scott and second-degree arson of her vehicle.
At the time, Scott was five months pregnant with Capobianco’s son, The Maui News reported.
Capobianco was sentenced March 24 to life in prison with the possibility of parole for murder plus 10 years for arson.
Capobianco was charged Sept. 18, 2013, with burglarizing the residence of his ex-girlfriend Taylor Farner.
The deadly-weapon charge stemmed from his arrest June 16, 2014, when he was found with a dual-edged knife disguised as a belt buckle, according to police.
He faced the prison contraband charges for a Feb. 19 incident in a visiting room at the Maui Community Correctional Center where police said his aunt Susan Capobianco tried to pass him methamphetamine, marijuana, marijuana concentrate and cigarettes. She also was charged and is awaiting sentencing.
Wastewater pollutes harbor
The Department of Health is advising the public to stay out of Kahului Harbor due to the discharge of 25,000 gallons of wastewater near the county’s Wailuku wastewater pump station.
The Health Department said at 1:52 p.m. Thursday that the discharge is ongoing, and crews are repairing the problem.
Warning signs are being posted and water samples will be taken.
The public should stay out of the harbor’s water from Kanaloa Avenue to Linekona Street until the signs have been removed.
