Washington state earned $319 million in tax revenues and fees from the legal sale of recreational marijuana in 2017.

Hawaii’s legislators often have been behind the curve when acting on important issues like compassionate end-of-life legislation or legalizing gay marriage.

Hawaii eventually will legalize the recreational use of marijuana. But every year we delay, the widespread sale of marijuana goes on unregulated, untaxed and available to our youth on the black market.

In the meantime, the Legislature continues to impose regressive taxes like the general excise tax, which hits the working poor the hardest.

Low-income renters must pay property taxes that are passed on to them by their landlords, and are hit again with the GET tax. Legislators then wonder why they have a homeless problem.

Schools need repair. Teachers are underpaid. Budgets are unbalanced. For once, beat the curve and legalize marijuana now.

Ron Schoenherr

Naalehu, Hawaii island