A state that favors secrecy is one with little public trust

The state Health Department’s apparently aborted scheme to select Hawaii’s eight medical marijuana licensees in secrecy adds to a sinking feeling that this high-stakes program won’t go well.

Using a legislative exemption, the department dispensed with hearings and public comments in drafting rules for exclusive and potentially lucrative licenses to grow and sell medical pot.

Then the state tried to avoid disclosing who would serve on the panel that will select eight licensees from 59 applicants, reversing course only after the Honolulu Star-Advertiser threatened a lawsuit.

The plan was for secret judges with unknown agendas and vague criteria deciding which of the rich, famous and politically connected applicants get licenses to mint money.

What could go wrong?

The state now says it’ll release names of selectors, but claims they haven’t been chosen yet as signs of disorder abound.

The Ige administration initially defended the secrecy as necessary to avoid tainting the integrity of the process with outside public pressure on the selection committee.

They have it backward: The real worry isn’t outside pressure but inside pressure — connected applicants and lobbyists pressuring friends in the administration or Legislature to influence the process.

Prominent names tied to applications include former Honolulu Mayor Peter Carlisle, former state Attorney General David Louie, Honolulu rail director Ivan Lui-Kwan, actor Woody Harrelson, producer Shep Gordon, former St. Francis Healthcare CEO Eugene Tiwanak, tech entrepreneur Henk Rogers, Hawaii island farmer Richard Ha, Maui state Sen. J. Kalani English and Anthony Takitani, law partner of Senate Judiciary Chairman Gil Keith-Agaran.

Adding to the secrecy and potential for backdoor influence is that many pot license applicants are limited-liability companies, which aren’t required to publicly identify principals behind the front persons.

The Ige administration’s obsessive aversion to public input is baffling. If the process is open, somebody might have a good idea the administration hadn’t thought of — help it certainly could use given Hawaii’s well-earned reputation as the state that seldom gets anything right.

The Health Department’s covert deliberations have hardly produced stellar results on medical marijuana.

When the Legislature transferred pot licensing to the Health Department from the Public Safety Department to make it easier for patients to get certificates, it ended up more cumbersome for patients.

The secret rule-making produced some boneheaded decisions, such as requiring medical marijuana to be grown in warehouses rather than greenhouses.

Instead of taking advantage of Hawaii’s abundant sunshine, warehouse growers will have to spend millions on high-cost electric lighting.

Experts warn such costs could drive the consumer price of regulated marijuana to $380 an ounce — 50 percent more than the mainland average and three or four times the local black-market price.

Gov. David Ige is asking the public, “Trust me.” Why should we if he resists trusting us with basic information?

Reach David Shapiro at volcanicash@gmail.com or blog.volcanicash.net.