Medical Marijuana Proponents Predict Big Increase in Users New data from the state Department of Health confirms Hawaii County has nearly twice as many medical marijuana patients as Oahu, with about 11 percent living in Pahoa alone. On June 30, there were 6,101 patients residing on Hawaii Island, comprising 42 percent of the 14,492 patients statewide. The island has about 13 percent of the state's total population. Pahoa, with an estimated 14,565 residents in 2014, had 702 of those patients. Meanwhile, Hilo - with roughly three times the population as Pahoa - had 637 patients. Kona had 705 and Oahu had 3,408 patients. [continues 607 words]
Afederal appeals court gave medical marijuana advocates what seemed like a big win this week with a unanimous ruling that the federal government cannot prosecute people who grow and distribute medicinal cannabis if they comply with state laws. The decision affirms a mandate from Congress that barred the U.S. Department of Justice in 2014 and 2015 from bringing cases against legitimate pot shops in states that have medical marijuana laws. It makes clear that if operators are meticulously following the rules, they shouldn't have to worry about the feds coming after them. [continues 437 words]
I'm writing in response to Mr. McClure's letter to the editor on July 31 regarding Colorado's experience with legalized marijuana. It must have been a shock for him to return to Denver after almost 30 years and find that the place had changed. My husband and I moved from Denver to Waikoloa Village 20 years ago but have been visiting almost every year since to see family and friends. Yes, Denver has changed over the years, but it happened long before the legalization of marijuana three years ago. The population of the Denver Metro area increased by 50 percent between 1980 and 2000. At the risk of stereotyping, traffic really started to get bad in the 1980s when the city received an influx of Californians who brought their driving habits of honking as soon as the light turns green and running red lights regularly with them. And more people means more cars and more traffic on the roads. [continues 312 words]
Recently, our state fitted nine favored companies with licenses to cultivate and provide medical marijuana to the sick, which will generate millions of dollars in profits. If we are going to legalize medical marijuana in Hawaii, the community should benefit from the profits. Why not team with the state Department of Agriculture to form a medical marijuana agency that would help minimize patients' expenses? Tony Gonzalez Waianae [end]
Many Doctors Are Adopting a Risk-Averse Attitude and Want to Wait Until Dispensaries Are Established Health care providers have been slow to embrace the medical marijuana industry even though July 15 was the legal opening date for the state's first dispensaries. The number of doctors certifying medical cannabis patients only climbed slightly over the past six months. There were 88 physicians who certified 14,492 patients as of June 30, up from 79 doctors and 13,150 patients on Dec. 31, according to the state Health Department. [continues 653 words]
On July 7, Gov. David Ige signed into law what might prove to be the most important piece of economic legislation in the past 50 years. Hawaii now enjoys the best hemp law in the nation. We who have been active in bringing back hemp to agriculture believe that generations will still be saying mahalo to those who worked, some for decades, to get this law passed. Now it's time to implement it. The hemp industry is growing 1,000 percent per year in the U.S., despite the "research only" provision for hemp in federal law. No place is more ready to lead hemp's resurgence than the Aloha State. Our year-round cultivation climate, small farmer infrastructure, and bottom line need for a regenerative agriculture economy means we have all the pieces of the puzzle. [continues 500 words]
DOH Says Inspections Still To Be Completed LIHUE - The more than 1,600 registered medical marijuana patients on Kauai may not be getting their medicine at a licensed dispensary in July. Department of Health officials said facility inspections of the state eight licensees have yet to take place. That means dispensaries won't be ready to open a retail establishment by July 15, the earliest date legislators allowed them to start selling medicine to registered patients. "The Department of Health is unable to predict the progress by each licensee because there are a number of requirements that are outside of our department's control," said Janice Okubo, DOH spokeswoman. [continues 223 words]
Legislators Field Marijuana Questions at Meeting in Pahoa Hawaii's medical marijuana dispensary law isn't perfect - far from it - - but it's a start, and the state needs to begin somewhere. That's how lawmakers characterized the up-and-coming dispensary system Thursday evening to a fired up crowd in Pahoa, many who pointed out what they called flaws in the way the law was written. "What we came up with, I don't choose to defend, I think it's extremely imperfect," state Sen. Russell Ruderman, D-Puna, told the nearly 100 attendees, which appeared to include several patients and marijuana users. "But it's a step, and we're going to keep taking steps. I think five years from now, the situation is going to look dramatically different than it does now. Meanwhile, it's like walking through mud - you can't run, you gotta keep moving forward." [continues 584 words]
The other day, in a seaside cafe here, veteran cannabis journalist David Bienenstock gamely fielded my attempts to catch up on a subject I have failed to appreciate for far too long: the coming end of marijuana prohibition. Earlier this month, the backers of a California initiative to legalize the recreational use of marijuana, including Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom and tech kabillionaire Sean Parker, said they had gathered enough signatures to make the November ballot. In the same week, the federal government dropped its long-standing case against Oakland's Harborside Health Center, the largest medical pot dispensary in the country. [continues 843 words]
The Hawaii Legislature's fixation on marijuana as a medical cure-all is starting to resemble a remake of the Cheech and Chong classic, "Up in Smoke." As lawmakers meticulously tweaked the medical marijuana law that could see local dispensaries selling pot within months, more pressing medical concerns - failing state hospitals, doctor shortages, bullying insurers - got little relief in the 2016 session. The Legislature grudgingly threw cash-strapped Wahiawa General Hospital a $2.5 million Band-Aid only because the district's senator was in a position to hold up the entire state budget without it. [continues 383 words]
So, proposed new laws might make it legal for cannabis dispensaries to grow pakalolo in sunlight, and nurses might be able to certify pot patients. Whoopee! Why not just decriminalize Hawaii's biggest cash crop, and tax dispensaries and growers, like grocery stores and farmers? End of story! Why is that so hard for the politicians to understand? It's about time government stops trying to protect people from themselves! Fred Fogel Volcano [end]
With Medical Marijuana Dispensaries Coming Soon, the Debate Shifts to Decriminalizing Some Drugs Thirteen years after Hawaii legalized medical marijuana, the state is finally forging ahead with licensing marijuana dispensaries, issuing licenses to eight applicants on Friday. As it has in other states, that policy shift could usher in a new era of social norms. Back in 1973, Oregon was the first state to decriminalize small amounts of cannibas for recreational use. Four decades later, Oregon voters said yes to legalizing marijuana, as Colorado and Washington had already done in 2012. Twenty states and Washington, D.C., have decriminalized marijuana possession. [continues 1148 words]
HONOLULU (AP) - With less than a week to go before the state is scheduled to announce the names of its first medical marijuana dispensary owners, lawmakers are considering a bill to clarify gaps in the dispensary law passed last year. State lawmakers discussed a bill during a hearing Monday that would clear up tax problems and give certain nurses the ability to recommend medical marijuana for patients. It also would allow for interisland transport of medical marijuana for laboratory testing and make rules for what kind of marijuana products could be sold in dispensaries. [continues 206 words]
Once a decade, the United Nations organizes a meeting where every country in the world comes together to figure out what to do about drugs - and up to now, they've always pledged to wage a relentless war, to fight until the planet is "drug-free." They've consistently affirmed U.N. treaties written in the 1960s and 1970s, mainly by the United States, which require every country to arrest and imprison their way out of drug-related problems. But at this year's meeting in New York City later this month, several countries are going to declare: This approach has been a disaster. We can't do this anymore. Enough. [continues 549 words]
It seems more than a little disingenious for some to be heaping blame on the state Department of Health (DOH) over the medical-marijuana licensure deadline, now moved back two weeks, from Friday to April 29. After all, it took the state Legislature some 15 years after OK'ing medical marijuana use before it finally approved a pot-dispensaries law last year. Huge potential for money-making could be at stake, not to mention keiki and public safety. The DOH did misstep when it initially tried to keep the licensee selection panel secret, but delaying an arbitrary final deadline by two weeks isn't as egregious as some imply. [end]
Some Fear Dispensaries Will Limit Access and Be Cost-Prohibitive Crippling stress, extreme pain and bad arthritis - for 72-year-old Subhadra Corcoran, cannabis is essentially the only fix. The Kona resident has used the drug medicinally for decades. For the past 10 years, she's been a patient in Hawaii's medical marijuana program. But later this year, when the state's first dispensaries can legally begin operating, Corcoran isn't planning to use them. "I can't afford to buy pot," said Corcoran, who said she currently gets weed through a caregiver on the island. "I'm 72-years-old, disabled and living off Social Security ... if they had $10 (for an eighth of an ounce of marijuana), I would. If they would make it affordable and my insurance would cover, of course I would. But that's not going to happen." [continues 606 words]
The county settled a lawsuit with a Puna man who claims police illegally confiscated the medical marijuana growing on his Fern Acres property almost four years ago. The settlement with Brad Snow and three others was for a total of $4,800. Snow filed suit in May 2014, claiming his property was improperly raided during a marijuana eradication sweep June 14, 2012, even though the plaintiffs had medical marijuana cards and were in compliance with the law. "The value of six months of marijuana growing in your backyard; they take it, and they don't give you anything for it," Snow said Tuesday. "They don't arrest you. They don't charge you. They just come and take your stuff. I did not have too many plants. I did not have too much marijuana." [continues 499 words]
A House Resolution Requests a Study of Portugal, Which Stopped Prosecuting Users Lawmakers in the House of Representatives want to study whether it would be feasible or wise to decriminalize possession of small quantities of illicit drugs for personal use in Hawaii. House lawmakers Tuesday passed House Concurrent Resolution 127, which requests that the state Legislative Reference Bureau study the experience of Portugal. That European nation officially abolished all criminal penalties for possession of drugs for personal use in 2001. Portugal still prosecutes major drug traffickers, but has made possession of small amounts of drugs an administrative violation that is handled without any criminal prosecutions. People who are caught with small quantities of drugs may be fined, referred to drug treatment or required to do community service. [continues 361 words]
Not only did your newspaper make a rush to judgment (front page headlines above the fold on March 19) the local small and big box pharmacies have followed your lead and refuse to fill his prescriptions. I would like to know if this is a conspiracy or mere coincidence. On March 22 Dr. Arrington wrote a prescription to me for an opiate for which I feel very thankful and fortunate to have been made available for the last 25 years due to a very painful debilitating progressive disease that will continue to painfully progress until I draw my last breath. [continues 350 words]
State Lawmakers Ask DOH to Research That Question HONOLULU (AP) - State lawmakers are asking how much marijuana a driver can safely consume before getting behind the wheel of a car. It's an issue they want to tackle now that the state is setting up medical marijuana dispensaries. So, Rep. Cindy Evans, D-North Kona, North Kohala and South Kohala, and 15 other lawmakers introduced a resolution asking the state Department of Health to study whether a person can safely drive while under the influence. [continues 394 words]
There were two letters in today's paper (March 9, "Vote Bernie") that were interesting and somewhat telling regarding the mentality of the left. The first from Stan White advocating Bernie for president. While neither he nor Clinton would be of any value to our country, justifying a vote for someone because they would help to legalize the use of marijuana in Hawaii is somewhat moronic. Bernie, if elected, would attempt to bankrupt our nation with new and yet unheard of taxes in an effort to make everything "free" to those who are unwilling to work for a living. Perhaps Stan thinks his pot would be free also? [continues 233 words]
HONOLULU (AP) - Industry experts say there are a lot of chemicals that could contaminate Hawaii's medical marijuana. Dispensaries are set to open throughout the state in July, and lawmakers are pushing a broad bill to address many of the obstacles the industry is facing. One is how to regulate marijuana testing. The proposed state law would set requirements for testing medical marijuana's potency and also would test for contaminants such as heavy metals, bacteria and pesticides, which industry experts say is necessary to ensure patient safety. Under state rules, dispensaries must send all marijuana products to a certified laboratory for testing. [continues 286 words]
Outdated drug policies around the world have resulted in soaring drug-related violence, overstretched criminal justice systems, runaway corruption and mangled democratic institutions. After reviewing the evidence, consulting drug policy experts and examining our own failures on this front while in office, we came to an unavoidable conclusion: The "war on drugs" is an unmitigated disaster. FOR NEARLY a decade, we have urged governments and international bodies to promote a more humane, informed and effective approach to dealing with "illegal" drugs. [continues 656 words]
Industry experts say there are a lot of chemicals that could contaminate Hawaii's medical marijuana. Dispensaries are set to open in Hawaii in July, and state lawmakers are pushing a broad bill to address many of the obstacles the industry is facing. One is how to regulate marijuana testing. The proposed Hawaii law would set requirements for testing medical marijuana's potency and would also test for contaminants such as heavy metals, bacteria and pesticides, which industry experts say is necessary to ensure patient safety. Under state rules, dispensaries must send all marijuana products to a certified laboratory for testing. [continues 275 words]
Nearly 2-1/2 years after California revoked a physician's medical license for misconduct, local regulators decided Thursday to revoke his Hawaii credentials. But the chairman of the Hawaii Medical Board, which voted to yank the license of Dr. Daniel Susott, said he's hoping future cases involving Hawaii-licensed physicians disciplined in other states take less time to resolve. "We should not see cases like this anymore," Dr. Niraj Desai, who heads the panel that makes final disciplinary decisions involving doctors, told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser after Thursday's board meeting. [continues 594 words]
The concern about how the federal government will affect legalized medical cannabis (marijuana) dispensaries in the Hawaiian Islands (as a state of islands marijuana sales tricky for Hawaii, Feb. 29) is another reason to vote for Sen. Bernie Sanders on the March 26, Democratic Presidential Primary Caucus. Sanders, is committed to removing cannabis from its historically discredited Schedule I substance classification alongside heroin (while meth and cocaine are only Schedule II substances), which will allow interstate and interisland commerce without threat from the federal government. Stan White Dillon, Colo. [end]
Feasibility Study Suggests Crop Will 'Grow Like Gangbusters' Bills that would allow the state Department of Agriculture to create pilot research programs for industrial hemp are moving through both chambers of the state Legislature. "I'm very happy that the bill is alive at this point," state Sen. Russell Ruderman, D-Puna, said of SB 2659, the Senate measure he co-introduced. SB 2659 and its House counterpart, HB 2555, are not companion bills, but have the same aim of establishing the DOA research program. [continues 574 words]
It appears there are too many questionable hands adding ingredients to the pot regarding marijuana here in Hawaii. Whatever is cooking is producing a stinking odor. First, the state Department of Health said no to releasing names of those who will decide who gets a dispensary license. Next, marijuana has to be grown in warehouses using electricity instead of taking advantage of our plentiful sunlight. The high cost of electricity would drive the consumer price sky-high. Finally the state gets gigantic tax revenues due to marijuana's high sales price. So it seems that the state's revenue would increase from marijuana rather than gambling. What does the state consider worse: gambling or increasing crime and the increased drug use that results from marijuana leading to harder drugs? Teresa Mary Tugadi Mililani [end]
Geography of State May Prove Challenging for Marijuana Industry HONOLULU - With less than five months to go before medical marijuana dispensaries can open in Hawaii, business owners could be facing unique obstacles in a state of islands separated by federal waters. Dispensaries can open as soon as July 15, but industry experts say they could be confronted with challenges unlike those in other states, such as navigating rules that ban inter-island transport and limit the number of growers - all of which could cause marijuana shortages. A lack of labs to test the crop presents another challenge for state lawmakers. [continues 562 words]
As a growing number of states recognize the importance of providing legal access to patients who benefit from medical marijuana, it becomes even more implausible that research is so uniquely - and unfairly - restricted. Patients with conditions such as PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder), epilepsy, chronic pain and migraines deserve research that can determine the optimum medication content and procedure. Even with research that has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), federal policies require a redundant, multi-agency review process that creates unnecessary red tape and wasteful government spending. [continues 518 words]
As Hawaii gets close to opening its first medical marijuana dispensaries - some 16 years after medical cannabis was legalized - one might expect that the major issues have been worked out. Not so. Even as the state Department of Health labors under a fast-approaching April 15 deadline to approve eight applications for dispensary permits, the Legislature is busy, too - trying to change the rules under which the Health Department is working. It's the legislative equivalent of trying to change the tires on a car while it's speeding down the freeway - in other words, a bad idea. [continues 467 words]
Police Question Outdoor Growing, Reduced Penalties Several bills being considered by the state Legislature aim to make things easier for people in the state's medical marijuana program, but Big Island police have a few concerns. Senate Bill 2523, introduced by Puna Democrat Sen. Russell Ruderman, as originally written would allow open-air growing operations, greenhouses and shade houses to serve as medical marijuana production centers - so long as operations aren't visible to the outside. The idea, Ruderman said, is for plants to grow under natural sunlight "as they've evolved to do," rather than indoors under artificial lamps. The bill was amended Thursday to nix openair growing, and would now take effect starting in 2017, rather than this year. [continues 544 words]
Several bills now moving through the Legislature seek to amend the medical marijuana law and the Department of Health's (DOH) interim administrative rules: House Bill 2707, an omnibus bill; HB 1808 on greenhouses; HB 2708 on background checks; Senate Bill 2176 on oversight committees; SB 2581, another omnibus bill; SB 2175 to add one license and regarding felonies; and SB 2581 on growing opportunities. Some provisions would laudably remove restrictions on the use of greenhouses, shade houses or field growing - as long as they are enclosed by fencing, blocked from public view and have adequate security measures. Others would wisely modify criminal background checks for patients and caregivers and decriminalize marijuana from Felony B and C categories. [continues 450 words]
It will be highly lucrative for those groups awarded the medical marijuana dispensary licenses. Unfortunately, applicants who get chosen will be accused of undue influence and conflicts of interest. Those who don't will likely file lawsuits. What to do? I suggest we discard the panel to select the groups. Instead, have the state Department of Health choose the approved applicants in a fair way with an equal playing field. Put the names of the approved applicants on ping-pong balls, put the balls in a bingo cage, turn the cage and have the governor pull out eight balls to determine the groups awarded the licenses. It would be transparent and fair, and avoid conflicts of interest as well as lawsuits. Libby Tomar Kailua [end]
Lawmakers Are Considering Loosening Dispensary Rules and Allowing Greenhouses Advanced practice registered nurses, who already prescribe prescription drugs, could start certifying patients for medical marijuana under a bill passed out of committee Wednesday. House Bill 2707, one of roughly 60 bills related to medical marijuana, also permits pot samples to be transported interisland for testing and eliminates penalties for patients who use paraphernalia, such as pipes and vape pens, to take their medicine. Friday is an internal deadline to move bills to the next committee to keep them alive. [continues 569 words]
Remember "government of the people, by the people and for the people"? The state Department of Health has the fate of thousands of medical marijuana patients in its hands. Who decided that nobody is supposed to know who is on the dispensary application approval team, or who picked them ("Panel, process for pot licenses to remain secret," Star-Advertiser, Feb. 10)? Sounds like Big Brother knows what is best for everyone. And for that matter, why not just have free enterprise? The number of pharmacies per county should not be limited by the state. Sandra Conrad Ala Moana [end]
But Whether the Health Department Has Finalized the Committee Is Unclear The state Health Department reversed course Friday, saying it will release the names of medical marijuana dispensary committee members before the panel grants Hawaii's first licenses for legal pot sales. On Tuesday the agency said it would keep secret the names of the panelists who are to select eight winning applications from the 66 that were submitted last month. The decision to keep the selection process secret drew a sharp rebuke from lawmakers. The Honolulu Star-Advertiser also threatened to sue the state if the names were not released. [continues 612 words]
Oahu Publications Says It Is Prepared to Sue If the Heath Department Refuses The Honolulu Star-Advertiser told the state Health Department on Thursday it will file a lawsuit if the agency does not release by the close of business today the names of committee members who will award Hawaii's first medical marijuana dispensary licenses. Jeff Portnoy, attorney for the Star-Advertiser's parent company, Oahu Publications Inc., delivered the notice to the Department of Health demanding it disclose the names. [continues 661 words]
The people in the know clearly know the crucial fact about the new medical marijuana dispensary enterprise: It's going to be big business - very big. That, as well as the fact that only eight licenses will be awarded, has turned those permits into valuable commodities. And it's turned the process of selecting the licensees into a matter of public interest - one that should be done with as much transparency as possible. Unfortunately, the state Department of Health, which is administering the fledgling program, has decided that the best course to fairness is to sequester the people making the decision: its review panel. In this way, DOH officials have said, the panelists would not be open to influence. [continues 464 words]
The state Health Department said Tuesday it will neither release the names of committee members who will select the winners of Hawaii's eight medical marijuana dispensary licenses nor disclose any information about the selection process. The department received 66 applications for the dispensary licenses and will determine by April 15 who is granted the right to open the first legal marijuana shops in Hawaii later this year. "It is critical that the selection process be conducted without external influence and disruption, so that applicants are scored solely on their application and the merit criteria," said Janice Okubo, spokeswoman for the Department of Health. "To ensure the integrity of the selection process, DOH will not be releasing any additional information about applicants, the application process or evaluation panel at this time." [continues 715 words]
Hawaii residents say legalizing industrial hemp could spur business ventures ranging from home construction to selling hemp seed candy bars at Hawaii airports. Lawmakers considered a bill Friday that would legalize and set rules for growing industrial hemp. The bill would require growers to register with the state and would clarify the difference between hemp and marijuana. The bill would also require the Hawaii Department of Agriculture to research development of products, such as clothing, oils and seed. Supporters say industrial hemp production could boost the agriculture sector and help rural economies. Nationwide at least 27 states have laws in place related to industrial hemp. In 2014 President Barack Obama signed the 2014 Farm Bill, which allowed universities and state departments to grow industrial hemp for limited uses. - -Staff and Associated Press [end]
Celebrities, politicians and attorneys vie to get in on the ground floor of an industry forecast to be worth millions Actor Woody Harrelson, Hollywood producer Shep Gordon and dozens of high-profile attorneys, entrepreneurs and politicians are jumping on the opportunity to sell pot in Hawaii. The state Health Department released Friday a list of 66 applicants for eight dispensary licenses that will allow for the opening of Hawaii's first medical marijuana retail centers as early as July 15. The list includes local doctors; video game entrepreneur Henk Rogers; Hawaii island farmer Richard Ha; "Hawaii Stars" television producer Dirk Fukushima; Michael Irish, owner of kim chee maker Halm's Enterprises and Keoki's Lau Lau; former St. Francis Healthcare Systems executive Eugene Tiwanak; former city Budget Director and Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transit Chairman Ivan Lui-Kwan; Kimberly Dey, CEO of production companies Liquid Planet Studios and Number-Eight; and Charles Kawakami, former president of Big Save supermarkets on Kauai. [continues 533 words]
State Rep. Cynthia Thielen has been a champion for cannabis, though not the kind that gets you high. Industrial hemp, Thielen said, yields thousands of uses and products, so it frustrates her to see them laughed off by those who confuse this varietal of the cannabis plant with what's known as marijuana. "Its uses range from termite proof and fire retardant hempcrete for building, nutritional hempseed products, animal feed, rope, paper, cloth," she said in an email response to a Star-Advertiser inquiry. [continues 166 words]
A bill that would ban homegrown marijuana in Hawaii is riling pot advocates as the state prepares for the opening of medical cannabis dispensaries this year. House Bill 1680, proposed by Rep. Marcus Oshiro (D-Wahiawa, Whitmore Village), would prohibit patients from growing their own pot in 2017, essentially forcing them to buy their marijuana from state-licensed dispensaries. "The discussion always has been to find a reliable, safe source of medical marijuana for Hawaii's patients," Oshiro said. "Those means would be through a well-regulated seed-to-sale tracking system to ensure that only the bona fide patients under doctors' care and with a valid certificate are able to obtain medical marijuana at the retail dispensaries. [continues 650 words]
Hemp production could save agriculture in Hawaii. The recent reporting on the University of Hawaii's study about growing hemp here is extremely hopeful. The preliminary results of the College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resource's experimental study on its farmland in Waimanalo point toward excellent possibilities. The timing of agricultural land becoming available on Maui and the announcement that Alexander & Baldwin (A&B), through its agricultural subsidiary Hawaiian Commercial & Sugar Co. (HC&S), is considering hemp as a viable crop indicates how views have changed since industrial hemp was erroneously classified as a drug over 50 years ago. [continues 416 words]
As a Colorado citizen who helped re-legalize cannabis, Jeffrey K. Coakley's misinformed letter (Real motivation for marijuana isn't medicine, Jan. 14,), demands much correction. Ohio "voted no" regarding cannabis (marijuana) because their specific initiative was flawed and even cannabis activist opposed it and will likely pass it next time. When cannabis is re-legalized, there is not an increase in social services but rather a reduction; it's one reason law enforcement agencies and their unions consistently oppose ending cannabis prohibition and it's one of the reasons voters want to end cannabis prohibition. [continues 67 words]
Oh, how to respond to Mr. Coakley and his North Hawaii Community Associations letter to the editor on Jan. 13? More 1950s reefer madness propaganda with unnamed certified studies and doom predictions if sick patients no longer have to grow their own pot and can purchase their legal medicine in a safe and secure location. Mainland pot interests intent on subverting our youth by subsidizing the dispensaries even though the DOH has not even selected who they will be. Hide the women and children "they" are coming for them! All this baloney despite recent Pew studies that show 65 percent support for legalization among millennials. Just who is out of touch, me, or Mr. Coakley? Representatives of the people passed this dispensary law. Is Mr. Coakley a supporter of law, or only the laws he likes? I have no doubt that in the future marijuana will be legal everywhere. Women's rights, same-sex marriage, transgender rights, gays in the military, society changes and moves forward. Thank God! [continues 121 words]
J. Appleton's attempt to discredit me and North Kohala Community Association is based on his lack of knowledge on the marijuana issue and his ignorance on the pulse of our community. We are asking why the two dispensary licenses for this island and eight throughout the state? We have less than 14,000 medical marijuana cardholders in Hawaii, 5,550 on the Big Isle. Each patient can have seven plants. If they can't grow their own, others can grow the plants for them. Of the 5,500, only 12 Big Isle patients cannot grow their own. So to "assist" these 12 people, four Big Isle reps helped introduce the bill: Cindy Evans, Mark Nakashima, Richard Creagan and Joy San Buenaventura. [continues 222 words]
Legalizing marijuana for agriculture is a pipe dream ("Like it or not, legalizing pot could be boon for local ag," Star-Advertiser, David Shapiro, Jan. 10). Alcohol and tobacco are not profitable in Hawaii because of the out-of-state competition, egregious state regulations, taxes, land, labor, production and transportation costs. Marketing labels like Puna Butter, Kona Gold or Maui Wowie would not create cannabis agriculture. Just like Hawaiian sweet bread, marijuana would not be exported; it would be produced outside of Hawaii. [continues 64 words]
Commercial cannabis (marijuana) in Colorado currently is grown indoors ("Like it or not, legalizing pot could be boon for local ag," Star-Advertiser, David Shapiro, Jan. 10). However, it's reasonable to expect federal laws prohibiting cannabis to collapse in the future, and that will give Hawaii an advantage with its ideal climate. Another thing that doesn't get mentioned is tourism. Millions of citizens across America are sick and tired of being persecuted, discriminated against and caged for using the relatively safe, extremely popular God-given plant. Colorado has seen tourism increase substantially since ending cannabis prohibition. The sooner Hawaii re-legalizes the plant, the sooner its tourism likely will increase also. Further, millions of citizens remember "Maui Wowie" and can hardly wait to smoke it legally. Stan White Dillon, Colo. [end]
Inside Hawaii
