The news from the state Legislature remains the same: You can’t legally smoke marijuana in Hawaii.
That was the law before the Legislature got into the act and it is the same today.
While there is always a chance that a late-blooming citizens initiative could change matters, it is not a bet I recommend you take. As it appeared late last week, there were not enough votes to convince the state House Democrats to push House Finance Chair Kyle Yamashita to hold a hearing on a bill to legalize recreational marijuana.
While there has been some organized lobbying by pro-marijuana groups, the push has become more of a hardy perennial, as opposed to a spontaneous outpouring for a new exception to the law.
House Speaker Rep. Scott Saiki announced the debate was finished.
“In hearing the overwhelming testimony and serious concerns from members of Hawaii’s law enforcement industry, this bill requires further consideration of the impact legislation will have on our children, economy and overall well-being,” Saiki said in a news release.
The action pits Hawaii against the national trend. The latest national tally as reported by Pew Research shows “54% of Americans live in a state where the recreational use of marijuana is legal — just a dozen years after Colorado and Washington became the first states to allow the drug for recreational purposes.
That means 74% of Americans live in a state where marijuana is legal for either recreational or medical use. California was the first state to legalize medical marijuana in 1996.
In the eyes of Hawaii decision-makers, there is a big difference between marijuana use with a doctor’s prescription and allowing any adult to use it whenever.
Hawaii was the first state to legalize medical cannabis via the legislative process. Medical cannabis is legal here — patients and caregivers may purchase from a dispensary or cultivate up to seven plants at home.
An industry report says “Hawaii will remain the oldest medical-only cannabis market in the nation 24 years after a progressive Hawaii Legislature became the first to legalize medical cannabis via the legislative process in 2000.”
Residents of states where cannabis has been legalized use marijuana 24% more frequently than those living in states where it remains illegal, according to new research.
Study co-author John Hewitt said, “This makes it much more likely that legalization does, in itself, result in increased use.”
Here, Josh Green included legalizing marijuana in his successful gubernatorial campaign and has remained a supporter. But the votes do not appear to be in the Legislature for formal legalization.
Colin Moore, associate professor of political science and director of the University of Hawaii’s Public Policy Center, says don’t discount the importance of the impending legislative action.
“I think legalization is a pretty big deal,” he said. “Yes, people who want to smoke marijuana can find ways to obtain it, either through illicit sources or by joining the medical cannabis registry, but these are still major barriers for the casual user.”
Moore points to research showing that legalization is crucial to the adoption of marijuana use as normal and accepted.
For Hawaii — the birthplace of former Democratic President Barack Obama, and a state leader in debates on abortion rights and same-sex marriage — it’s coming a bit late to the movement to legalize marijuana.
As Moore added: “The most interesting thing to me about the marijuana debate is that it demonstrates that Hawaii remains a relatively socially conservative state.”
Richard Borreca writes on politics on Sundays. Reach him at 808onpolitics@gmail.com.
