Alcohol ban at Kaneohe Bay may become permanent

The temporary ban on alcohol and drugs at the Kaneohe Bay sandbar will expire on Labor Day, but the state will hold hearings next week to consider making it permanent on all three-day holiday weekends.

The Department of Land and Natural Resources hearing will take place from 6 to 8 p.m. Tuesday at the Heeia Elementary School cafeteria, 46-202 Haiku Road, in Kaneohe.

The  administrative rule amendment regarding bans on alcohol and drugs at the Kaneohe sandbar applies only to three-day holiday weekends that include Memorial Day, Independence Day and Labor Day.

The proposed amendment would repeal the sunset date of the current rule, which took affect in September 2012. It would make permanent a rule that prohibits possession, use or consumption of alcohol in the Ahu O Laka (Kaneohe sandbar) safety zone. The rule also prohibits a person under the influence of alcohol, narcotics or drugs from remaining in, or entering the safety zone, and prohibits disorderly behavior while there.