Senators seek pathway to recreational marijuana – Hawaii News Now
HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – Supporters of legal recreational marijuana for adults made another push at the state Capitol Tuesday, facing fierce opposition even as the final decision may rest with President Trump.
Senate health and consumer protection committees heard two bills that would allow low-dose THC hemp or cannabis products, despite House leaders saying they won’t hear marijuana legalization bills this year.
Honolulu Prosecutor Steve Alm opposed the measures, saying daily marijuana users now outnumber daily drinkers.
“It’s the addicts who buy most of the marijuana now, and do you want to be in the addiction for profit business? I don’t think so,” Alm said.
Connie Mitchell from the Institute for Human Services said her experience with homelessness shows substance use disorders are already a problem.
“Every day I am dealing with substance use disorders, and I just fear that this is just going to make it worse,” Mitchell said.
Supporters argued that the low-dose THC products are politically popular and medically beneficial.
Carolyn Golojuch, 79, said she would use marijuana for medical purposes.
“I have aches where I didn’t know you could have aches. I would use marijuana, pot, what we called it when I was growing up. I never used it then, but I need it now,” Golojuch said.
Karen O’Keefe from the Marijuana Policy Project said Hawaii voters support legalization.
“Adults should not be punished for using a substance that is safer than alcohol and which, for many, is an over-the-counter medicine,” O’Keefe said.
Nikos Leverenz from the Drug Policy Forum of Hawaii said manufactured hemp products are already widely available.
“This bill is important to allow those engaged in the cannabis and hemp sector to enter the marketplace,” Leverenz said.
Critics emphasized risks for children even from the proposed low-dose products.
Laverne Moore, a retired special education teacher, said five milligrams of THC could disrupt classroom learning.
“Five milligrams may sound like a small amount to a legislator, but to a student in the classroom, it’s enough to disrupt their learning, their behavior, and safety of their peers,” Moore said.
Andrew Goth from the Office of Cannabis Control and Regulation agreed that there are public health concerns.
“We should still stress that there are public health issues that come with even the lower potency THC product like this, especially for youth,” Goth said.
Another proposal would establish a comprehensive licensing, taxation, and enforcement system for recreational marijuana, but only if approved by a state constitutional amendment or made legal nationwide by the president, who has proposed reducing regulations on cannabis.
Ty Cheng from the Hawaii Cannabis Industry Association said the state needs to be ready in case federal legalization happens.
“That would mean it would be allowed to be sold in any state in the United States, and then Hawaii would therefore have a more restrictive program than the federal government,” Cheng said.
Former lawmaker Marcus Oshiro questioned whether lawmakers have sufficient information to make decisions.
“You guys don’t have enough facts, you don’t have enough science, you have no data to make the decision,” Oshiro said.
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