We’re Investigating The Wrath Of Meth In Hawaiʻi — And Why It’s Getting Worse

The University of Hawaiʻi sent out a press release a year and a half ago about a new study on drug deaths in the state. It found that many drug overdoses in Hawaiʻi were not from the opioids plaguing the rest of the country, but instead from methamphetamine.

The smokable form of meth made its U.S. debut in Hawaiʻi in the 1980s, setting off a panic about a potent new drug with the potential to set off a new epidemic on the mainland.

The 2024 UH study measured the toll of four decades of ice use in Hawaiʻi. Many of the overdose deaths were among people over the age of 50 — while other drugs typically take out teens and young adults — and they were dying of heart and neurological complications from chronic, long-term use.

With that as a starting point, Civil Beat set out to chronicle the state's long, painful history with its drug of choice.

We obtained autopsies for 100 people whose deaths were attributed in part or whole to meth over 10 months in 2024 and 2025, then used a variety of public records and interviews with survivors to learn more about who they were and what was going on in their lives in the months and weeks leading up to their deaths.

Tomorrow, we will tell their stories in the first of a series on meth's corrosive effects on Hawaiʻi. The series, a year in the making, will roll out over the rest of 2026, detailing how ice first took hold of the islands in the 1980s, the narratives of four people caught up in the epidemic, Hawaiʻi's struggle to focus on its meth problem while the federal government shifted attention and funding to opioids, and much more.

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Many Hawaiʻi residents know someone whose life has been wrecked by meth. It is, tragically, part of the fabric of life here. We're all familiar with the knowing nods after some explosion of meaningless violence: "It must have been meth."

Our series goes beyond platitudes and assumptions to get to the roots of Hawaiʻi's struggle with ice and put a human face on those caught in its grip.

For future stories, Civil Beat wants to hear from you.

We're especially interested in talking to people who have suffered health effects from meth use, such as dilated cardiomyopathy, an enlargement of the heart that can result from chronic meth use. We'd also like to hear from those who witnessed the initial influx of ice in Hawaiʻi in the 1980s and early 1990s, as well as meth users who have tried traditional Native Hawaiian forms of healing. Lastly, please contact us if you have had difficulties arranging for MedQuest or other insurance to pay for drug treatment.

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