NATIONAL INSTITUTE ON DRUG ABUSE EPIDEMIOLOGIC ...

EPIDEMIOLOGIC TRENDS IN DRUG ABUSE—Honolulu, Hawai'i
Illicit Drug Use in Honolulu and the State of Hawai'i
D. William Wood, M.P.H., Ph.D. 1
ABSTRACT
Methamphetamine abuse indicators were variable
in 2004. Numbers of deaths were higher, treatment
admissions were down a little, and police cases were
also slightly lower. This period also saw variation
for the indicators of cocaine use. The numbers of
deaths and treatment admissions were down, while
police cases increased slightly. Heroin use was
down across all indicators, with the number of
deaths and treatment admissions lower. Marijuana
use was also down across all indicators. Oxycodone
use appeared to have increased, with deaths up
dramatically and drug seizures totaling an increase
from previous periods. Oxycodone treatment admissions
are now being reported and are thought to be
higher than during previous periods. The Medical
Examiner’s office reported 25 decedents with positive
methadone toxicology in 2004.
INTRODUCTION
This report presents current information on illicit
drug use in Hawai'i, based on the Honolulu Community
Epidemiology Work Group (CEWG), described
later in this section.
Area Description
Hawai'i, the Aloha State, had a population of
1,211,537 as of April 1, 2000, and by July 1, 2003,
the population was estimated to be 3.8 percent
higher, at 1,257,608.
Kaua’i County
City and County
of Honolulu
State of Hawai’i
Maui County
Hawai’i County
1 The author is affiliated with the Department of Sociology, University of Hawai'i at Manoa, Honolulu, Hawai'i.
The State’s population is differentially distributed
across the seven major islands of the Hawaiian chain,
shown in the figure above. There are 26 islands
within the State’s boundaries, which extend from
South Point on the Big Island of Hawai'i (the most
southerly point in the United States) to Kure atoll,
near Midway Island. The chain spans a total of 1,200
miles from one end to the other. The City and County
of Honolulu has 72.3 percent of the State population.
Hawai'i, the Big Island, has 12.3 percent of the population,
followed by Maui County (10.6 percent) and
Kaua'i County (4.4 percent). The landmass of the
State is 6,423 square miles, with a population density
of 188.6 persons per square mile.
The age and gender makeup of the State are shown in
the following population pyramid, which reflects that
males and females are about equally represented (sex
ratio [males/100 females] = 100.96) and the median
age is 36.2. While there is some variation by county,
it is not significant. The dependency ratio (the number
of other persons people of employment age must
support) is 0.51, meaning that for every 10 persons of
working age in Hawai'i (15–64 years of age), they
must support, in addition to themselves, 5.1 other
people.
State of Hawaii,
State of Hawai’i
Population Pyramid (Percents),
Population Pyramid 2000 (Percents): Census 2000 Census
90-94
Females Males
10.0 8.0 6.0 4.0 2.0 0.0 2.0 4.0 6.0 8.0 10.0
Proceedings of the Community Epidemiology Work Group, Vol. II, January 2005 83
Age Group
100+
80-84
70-74
60-64
50-54
40-44
30-34
20-24
10-14
0-4
Percent