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The temporary ban on alcohol and drugs at the Kaneohe Bay sandbar will expire on Labor Day, but the state will hold a hearing 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.
The liquor ban during three-day weekends took effect in 2012 following the death of a 26-year-old man who was involved in a fight at Heeia Kea Small Boat Harbor.
The rule established a rectangular safety zone in the middle of Kaneohe Bay that is just over a square mile in area, comprising the majority of the sandbar and defined by six marker buoys.
Violators are subject to a maximum fine of $1,000 or $50 for each violation, in addition to administrative fines, fees, costs and damages.