Hawaii’s cannabis sellers cool their heels

The folks who have invested real money in the islands’ fledgling medical marijuana dispensary operations are finding the typical Hawaii bureaucratic delays pretty tough, financially.

The state Department of Health is working on certifying the laboratories that will test the product sold by the state’s eight licensed dispensaries. Officials expect the first to open this summer, roughly a year later than originally projected. And that means the dispensaries had to pay renewal fees without a first sale.

If the delay means better consumer assurances, it will have been worthwhile. Still, it’s now June, and summer officially starts on the 21st.

Unsightly homeless moved out of sight

There were any number of reasons to roust the homeless from their encampments along Nimitz Highway, as the city did on Monday. The most persuasive is the health and safety one: It’s obviously dangerous. They’re living on a highway median, with cars whizzing by at high speed.

But the more likely reason is that they’re a huge embarrassment. Tourists arriving from the airport must cringe at the sight of the unkempt and unwashed living in tents. Is Honolulu a beautiful, sophisticated city or a grimy, poverty-stricken one? It’s not even a question. But if we can’t take care of our poorest residents, it will continue to be asked.