Imagine a day when Maui Wowie and Kona Gold are legitimate marijuana brands sold around the world, when Hawaii factories create legal products such as Maui Wowie cookies, cannabis-infused ice cream and marijuana macadamia nut chocolate candies.
That day might not be far off if state Rep. Rida Cabanilla (D, Ewa Beach-West Loch Estates) has her way.
The lawmaker has introduced a bill that would lead to a plan to legalize cultivation of marijuana in Hawaii for sale and export to countries where usage is lawful.
Eventually, she said, if and when federal drug-trafficking restrictions are lifted on marijuana distribution, Hawaii would also be in a position to supply Colorado and Washington with marijuana and what appear to be a growing number of states that are moving to legalize the recreational use of pot.
"This would be worth billions," Cabanilla said Thursday at the state Capitol. "This is going to be an economic engine unparalleled by anything else. Our farmers will never be poor again."
Colorado, which legalized the recreational use of marijuana at the beginning of the year, has already experienced shortages. Yet some experts forecast $2.3 billion in legal U.S. sales of pot this year and four times as much over the next 15 years.
Cabanilla said she could see the state imposing a 25 percent tax on marijuana production or distribution or "whatever we can get," adding, "It will be there. It will be enormous."
With the windfall, she said, lawmakers could undertake any number of sweeping measures, ranging from eliminating the city property tax to building and repairing state roads and highways, paying for the state’s unfunded liabilities, or creating more affordable housing.
Cabanilla said the pot would not be grown for use in Hawaii. She said she doesn’t believe marijuana should be legalized here.
Under the legislation, a panel of state department heads and other officials would be formed to examine legal issues and create a plan that would lead to the cultivation of marijuana for export to places such as the Netherlands.
Cabanilla said Hawaii has the best soil and climate for growing marijuana, and that once locally grown pot is on the market, it would push others aside. The bill states, "The Goddess Pele has provided Hawaii with the best soil in the nation for marijuana cultivation; it should be capitalized upon for the good of her people."
At the Capitol, the lawmaker declared, "We are the best. We are the best! We have the best marijuana in the world. I haven’t tried it, but the people who have tried have said, ‘Wow!’"
Cabanilla acknowledged that plenty of security would be required for marijuana farms. But the cost of guards and tall fences would be worth the investment, she said, adding that there would be state oversight and regulation.
State Reps. Faye Hanohano (D, Hawaiian Acres-Pahoa-Kalapana) and Richard Creagan (D, Naalehu-Captain Cook-Keauhou) stood with Cabanilla at her conference.
Creagan, a physician, said he wasn’t sure how powerful an economic engine pot cultivation would be, but that the state should explore the possibilities so it is ready as the country and the world move toward greater tolerance and use.
Majority party leaders have indicated that proposals to legalize marijuana likely won’t pass the current legislative session. But Cabanilla, the House majority floor leader, said she’s confident that at least the House will support her bill.
Isle law enforcement agencies have opposed marijuana legalization in Hawaii. On Thursday representatives of the state Department of Public Safety, the Honolulu Police Department and the state attorney general’s office declined to comment on Cabanilla’s bill, saying they hadn’t reviewed it yet.
