Upon Tuesday’s guilty verdicts for former Minneapolis policeman Derek Chauvin in the death of George Floyd, Hawaii Attorney General Clare Connors rightly lauded the lead prosecutor for “fairly and competently” presenting the government’s case — and added that the trial’s outcome “serves as an example of what accountability looks like for those in positions of trust.”

It’s encouraging that this case, which spurred the largest civil rights protests in decades, prompted the Honolulu Police Department to convene a committee to review its own use-of-force policy. This month, HPD Chief Susan Ballard signed off on an updated policy that promotes de-escalation techniques.

A holiday for cannabis users

The unofficial cannabis holiday called 420 was marked this week (4/20) with much less glee than last year, when a new decriminalization law took effect. This legislative session, Senate Bill 767, seeking to raise Hawaii’s decriminalized amount to 30 grams — a bit more than an ounce — died in the House.

House Concurrent Resolution 132 was adopted, though, to press for a federal exception from the Controlled Substances Act that could ease medical cannabis operations. Proponents may or may not take consolation in that.