In response to the U.S. Department of Justice clarifying its marijuana policy last month, our state Legislature should hold hearings on permitting medical marijuana dispensaries, adult recreational usage and industrial hemp cultivation.

 In 2004, our state passed a law to allow those that qualify to grow a limited amount of marijuana for medical purposes. However, the Legislature has prohibited the existence of medical marijuana dispensaries, claiming the federal government would intervene and prosecute any enterprise that facilitated such distribution.

 On Aug. 29, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder released a memorandum outlining circumstances in which states that have passed medical marijuana laws can indeed permit medical marijuana dispensaries to flourish.

 In 2012, House Bill 699 was introduced in Hawaii to somewhat mirror the states of Colorado and Washington that relaxed the prohibition on marijuana. The bill stalled in the House Judiciary Committee.

 On Sept. 11, the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing entitled, “Conflicts between State and Federal Marijuana Laws.” U.S. Deputy Attorney General James Cole provided the committee with a clear direction in how the Department of Justice is approaching laws enacted in states that regulate marijuana.

 After reiterating eight guidelines for marijuana regulation as was conveyed to all federal prosecutors and governors by the attorney general in August, Cole stated, “The Department of Justice expects that state and local governments that have enacted laws authorizing marijuana related conduct will implement effective regulatory and enforcement systems to protect federal priorities and the health and safety of every citizen. As the guideline explains, the jurisdiction’s regulatory scheme must be tough in practice, not just on paper.”

 Marijuana can also be cultivated without the active THC substance that produces the “high” and in this form is often called hemp. Hemp can be used as food, fuel, paper, oils, as well as in the manufacturing of fabrics and textiles or even as a substitute for plastics. Hemp removes toxins from the soil and has been used to clean up hazardous waste sites.

 With a countless number of acres of potentially productive farmland in Hawaii sitting fallow, it’s time our Legislature truly diversify our economy and lessen its dependence on tourism and allow industrial hemp to be cultivated. The utilization of industrial hemp has the potential to create tens of thousands of jobs and provide a steady source of revenue for the state.

 Legislators in Hawaii can no longer use the federal government as an excuse to deny the many uses of the marijuana plant from becoming regulated in Hawaii. 

So long as Hawaii devises its marijuana laws to be in concert with the eight federal regulatory guidelines, we have the opportunity to eradicate the criminal elements that prey upon our youth and diffuse the black market. With revenue generated in the taxation of marijuana, we can enhance and fully fund the best treatment and educational programs out there to keep minors away from the very substances prohibited to them. 

Remember: Drug dealers don’t card their customers for purchases and they take stolen goods, guns and other illicit drugs for trade without paying any taxes. Regulation combats that.

 Therefore, the Legislature should give bills that propose to regulate marijuana in Hawaii a fair hearing this upcoming legislative session and stop making excuses. As U.S. Sen. Patrick Leahy, Judiciary Committee chairman stated at the Sept. 11 hearing: “We have to have a smarter approach to marijuana policy.”