Advocates See the Plant As a Potential Commodity for the State University of Hawaii researchers are poised to start their first harvest of industrial hemp in Waimanalo, while crop advocates explore opportunities to tap into the multimillion-dollar demand for the plant's products in the United States. Advocates estimate some $600 million in hemp is imported into the U.S. annually. "Our small little plot is the beginning of what I believe will be a major agricultural crop for Hawaii," said state Rep. Cynthia Thielen (R, Kailua-Kaneohe). "These plants are amazing." [continues 408 words]
About 1,100 Applications Are Handled a Month, and It Is Expected to Double in 2016 State health officials say they're looking to streamline the application process for medical marijuana patient cards - which some local physicians say is unduly burdensome - ahead of the first pot dispensaries to open in Hawaii next year. The fixes could be critical for the state Department of Health if it is to keep up with the demand once dispensaries open in the state. The department, which processes about 1,100 applications a month for new cards and annual renewals, expects that number could double in 2016. [continues 435 words]
Marijuana has been quasilegal in the Netherlands for about 40 years, yet the Dutch use cannabis at less than half the rate Americans do ("Legal pot will lead to more addiction," Star-Advertiser, Letters, June 25). And they use cocaine and heroin at about a third the rate Americans do. Why? Because in the Netherlands, there is no "lure of the forbidden fruit" like there is in America. Kirk Muse Mesa, Ariz. [end]
Bill Funk and Rep. Marcus Oshiro have not been paying attention to actual data coming out of Colorado ("More pot means more problems," Star-Advertiser, Letters, June 17; "For-profit marijuana will be dangerous," Star-Advertiser, Island Voices, June 14). Since legalizing marijuana, Colorado has seen an 8.9 percent drop in property crime and an increase of $40.9 million into the state's coffers. It also is not wasting taxpayer dollars on adjudicating marijuana offenses, at a cost of $300 per case, so that is saving the state money. [continues 96 words]
Joann Breeden's letter is both misinformed and misleading ("Legal pot will lead to more addiction," Star-Advertiser, June 25). The pending legislation does not legalize marijuana. It sets up a tightly regulated dispensary system designed to undercut the black market while providing registered patients with medicine their doctors recommend. Marijuana doesn't "stop working"; unlike hard drugs, it doesn't create a tolerance in users. Of course drug users start with marijuana; it's the most widely used psychoactive substance in the world after alcohol. [continues 94 words]
People of Hawaii need education regarding the perils of legal marijuana. I'm an addiction counselor and worked in alcohol and drug treatment centers for 25 years. About 94 percent of patients I worked with started their chemical use with marijuana. When the drug stopped working, patients used other drugs to get high. Along with increased chemical abuse, other crimes committed included physical violence, murder and robbery. Do the people of Hawaii want crime and alcohol and drug addiction to increase? If people don't want this inevitable outcome of legalizing marijuana, learn the truth about addiction. Legislators are supposed to be looking out for us. Remember, politicians only do what is good for themselves, not the right thing. People need to get involved to help save Hawaii families from addiction. Joann Breeden Kahuku [end]
As suggested by state Rep. Marcus Oshiro, let us hope Gov. David Ige vetoes the medical marijuana bill and allows Hawaii to benefit from the mistakes of others before we plunge into the unknown. In California, anyone who claims a headache, finds the right doctor and has $100 gets a license to buy at the pot shops. We can expect the same pattern here. The intent to give compassionate relief to those who really need marijuana has turned into a sophisticated mechanism that could easily be transformed into a legalized for-profit recreational pot industry. The powerful marijuana lobby is preparing the way for this to happen. [continues 57 words]
I hope Gov. David Ige will not sign into law House Bill 321, the medical marijuana dispensary bill. It will be a disaster for Hawaii. This bill isn't simply about providing medical marijuana safely to those needing the drug. It lays a foundation for establishing multimillion-dollar marijuana businesses. I believe there is a movement by proponents of this bill to legalize marijuana usage, which federal law prohibits. As a retired police officer, I know the laws would be unenforceable. If signed into law, it will be devastating to our Hawaiian culture, our children and grandchildren. Let's protect Hawaii's future generations, not leave a legacy of shame. Jeff Yamashita Waipahu [end]
Rep. Marcus Oshiro is apparently content to recycle prohibitionist talking points without doing any background research ("For-profit marijuana will be dangerous," Star-Advertiser, Insight, June 14). Legal marijuana is not a "new idea in the world." Marijuana has been safely used by humans for millennia. Marijuana prohibition is the new idea. The first marijuana laws were enacted in response to Mexican immigration during the early 1900s, despite opposition from the American Medical Association. Prior to the federal Marihuana Tax Act of 1937 (sic), marijuana use was limited to border migrant communities and black jazz musicians in New Orleans. Dire warnings that marijuana inspires homicidal rages in dark-skinned minorities have been counterproductive at best. [continues 53 words]
In 2000, Act 28 made Hawaii one of the first states to authorize the use of marijuana to treat certain debilitating medical conditions. Act 28, however, was silent on how to legally obtain a patient or caregiver's first seed to cultivate their crop or otherwise legally acquire medical marijuana, leaving patients and even law enforcement in a conundrum. Fast forward 15 years and Hawaii may soon join a growing number of states that have authorized dispensaries to distribute marijuana for medical use if House Bill 321, Relating to Medical Marijuana, is enacted. The 2015 state Legislature, based on remarks from opening day ceremonies, set as a goal to close the gap between the authorized use of medical marijuana and the legal means of acquiring it. A well-regulated dispensaries system may address both patient and law enforcement needs. [continues 470 words]
I believe marijuana has a place in the treatment of disease. However, forprofit growing and selling marijuana, even for medical use, is a dangerous and untested social experiment on Hawaii's people and is not consistent with local values and culture. Not-for-profit or co-ops or limited imports are viable alternatives. First, legalization of for-profit growing and selling of marijuana is a new idea in the world. Further, only 11 of 23 medical marijuana U.S. states have actual operating experience, and the average retail store experience in those states is only about two years. [continues 515 words]
HB 321 Could Lead to a $65 Million a Year Industry and Hundreds of New Jobs, They Say Medical marijuana promoters say dispensaries in Hawaii could create a lucrative new market with up to 800 jobs and $65 million a year in sales. House Bill 321 - which allows for 16 dispensaries to open in Hawaii on July 15, 2016, and potentially many more the following year - is now in Gov. David Ige's hands. If he signs it into law, the race will be on to see who can get the eight licenses allowed, build their greenhouses and open retail spaces to begin selling marijuana legally in Hawaii for the first time. [continues 1355 words]
With the passage of the medical marijuana dispensary bill House Bill 321, Hawaii is returning to the compassionate spirit that prevailed when our Legislature was first in the country to legalize medical cannabis in 2000. Strong majorities in both chambers sent a carefully crafted piece of legislation to the desk of Gov. David Ige, where it awaits his signature. If, as we hope and expect, he signs it into law, the long-suffering, seriously ill patients of Hawaii will soon be able to procure their essential medicine at a safe and legal retail location. KAT WADE / SPECIAL TO THE STAR-ADVERTISE R This legal cannabis plant in Mililani was used to make a tincture to treat a girl for seizures. With the passage of legislation establishing marijuana dispensaries in Hawaii, the debate continues over how the facilities and their products should be regulated. [continues 644 words]
At the onset, I believe marijuana has a place in the treatment of disease. However, for-profit growing and selling of marijuana, even for medical use, would be a bad untested social experiment on Hawaii's people. Hawaii's citizens are not laboratory rats. Not-for-profit or co-operatives or limited imports are better aligned with Hawaii's values. First, legalizing for-profit selling of marijuana is a new idea in the world. The USA and Uruguay and not the Netherlands or Jamaica, are the only places that allow for legal production and sales. Interestingly, in the US only 11 of 23 medical marijuana states or less than half have any actual operating experience. Furthermore, the average retail store experience is about two years. Consequently, 24 months of social-science evidence at best may justify a pilot project but not a permanent laissez-faire policy built on such skimpy evidence. [continues 471 words]
I read with shock and dismay your front-page story about building hemp homes ("The house that hemp built," Star-Advertiser, June 4). Don't people realize that hemp is a dangerous "gateway plant" that invariably leads users down a slippery slope of botanical addiction? It's high time we nipped this nefarious practice in the bud - before people begin making bricks from peyote cacti and poppy plant stems. John Wythe White Haleiwa [end]
Former NBA Coach Don Nelson Touts the Benefits of Building With the Plant KIHEI, MAUI - Building one of the first homes in Hawaii made of hemp has left Hall of Fame NBA coach Don Nelson open to some friendly ribbing from his Maui neighbors. "Most of them think they can smoke it," Nelson said. While industrial hemp used in the construction of homes comes from the same cannabis sativa plant species as marijuana, it contains only a small amount of tetrahydrocannabinol - the psychoactive chemical that creates the marijuana high. [continues 773 words]
A Florida-based consulting company will host a medical marijuana seminar at a Waikiki hotel next month to explain the business opportunities linked to the potential legalization of pot dispensaries in Hawaii. Fifteen years after medical marijuana was legalized in Hawaii, the Legislature passed a bill this month approving a system of medical marijuana dispensaries statewide by next summer. Gov. David Ige is expected to sign House Bill 321 into law, and dispensaries are projected to open as early as July 2016. [continues 200 words]
Very little about public policy happens in a vacuum, least of all Hawaii's belated move to fully implement its 15-year-old medical marijuana law, after letting things languish for so long. When medical marijuana became legal, Hawaii was at the front of the pack among states liberalizing controls of the drug, moving first to allow its use for relief of pain and other physical symptoms. Now the long-awaited authorization of dispensaries for the delivery of marijuana to those holding a medical prescription has been overtaken by decisions in other states to legalize it entirely. [continues 691 words]
Howard Wooldridge, a Washington lobbyist, is a former detective and forever Texan on an important mission - trying to persuade the 535 members of Congress to end the federal war on marijuana. Liberals tend to be an easier sell than conservatives. With liberals, Wooldridge dwells on the grossly racist way the war on drugs has been prosecuted. "The war on drugs," he tells them, "has been the most immoral policy since slavery and Jim Crow." Conservatives hear a different argument, but one that Wooldridge holds every bit as dear: "Give it back to the states." [continues 502 words]
Lawmakers OK a Bill That Provides for 16 Dispensaries, With Some Predicting a Look at Full Legalization Later On In its last major act of this year's session, the Legislature has sent Gov. David Ige a bill that would give thousands of medical marijuana patients access to dispensaries in Hawaii. The Senate voted unanimously and the House voted 36-13 to pass House Bill 321, which allows for 16 medical pot dispensaries across the state, including six on Oahu. The move comes 15 years after state leaders authorized the prescription and use of the drug but failed to create a dispensary system where patients could purchase it, leaving patients to cultivate the pot on their own or acquire it on the black market. [continues 998 words]
I was extremely dismayed to see your headline "New High" above the fold in Tuesday's paper (Star-Advertiser, May 5). The value of medicinal marijuana is not in the "high," but in the comfort and relief that it brings to sufferers of chronic and long-term illness and pain. Perpetuating the myth, even if only in sensationalized headlines, that medicinal marijuana can and should be equated with being high, is disingenuous and displays a remarkable lack of awareness about the power of the press. [continues 60 words]
A Bill That Would Allow for the Establishment of Medical Marijuana Dispensaries Passes Conference Committee and Is Due for a Vote Some 15 years after medical marijuana use became legal in Hawaii, lawmakers are suddenly on the verge of permitting dispensaries to sell the drug to the 13,000 patients across the state. In a highly unusual move, House and Senate negotiators Monday revived and then unanimously passed a medical pot dispensary bill that many observers had thought was dead and buried last week. The measure, House Bill 321, would allow for dispensaries at as many as 16 sites across the islands, including up to six locations on Oahu, starting as early as July 2016. [continues 883 words]
The reason there is so much trouble with the medical marijuana dispensary bill is because it is not good for the people of Hawaii ("Pot dispensaries measure hangs on," Star-Advertiser, May 2). All the amendments ruin it, and make compliance unaffordable and discriminatory for all but multimillionaires with health licenses. For one, the definition of a "person" needs to be an actual person - one license for one aspect (grow, manufacture, dispense) for one person. Give as many Hawaii residents a chance to make a good living, and people and the state will benefit. [continues 65 words]
The story of marijuana as medicine at the state Capitol this year was a story of careful preparation, dogged grass-roots politics and compassion for those who suffer from chronic illnesses. And don't forget the impact of money. Bills to establish marijuana dispensaries in Hawaii have stalled in the state Legislature for years, but dispensaries suddenly emerged this year as one of the most talked-about issues for lawmakers. It was an issue so important they refused to allow it to die. [continues 910 words]
Despite an all-out political push reinforced by some of the best-known lobbyists in the state, an effort to establish state-regulated dispensaries to distribute marijuana to legally registered patients in Hawaii remains in limbo. The measure stalled during last-minute negotiations between House and Senate lawmakers Friday and appeared to be dead, but was later revived in a last-minute procedural maneuver. Senators said they wanted to reopen the issue, and lawmakers could revisit the bill Monday if there is enough support in the House. [continues 333 words]
Legislators responsible for amendments to House Bill 321, the medical marijuana bill, should be ashamed. The $20,000 application and $30,000 renewal fee for dispensaries was the give-away. It was always about the money. It started out well-intentioned - to get medical marijuana to those who need it. I have personal experience with a sister who relies on medical marijuana for her multiple-organ cancer to relieve pain, nausea, appetite and sleep issues. Our one-party-dominated state presents no viable opposition to counter the Democrats' thirst for taxation and over-regulation. Greed has taken a good and necessary cause and turned it into a money maker for the state. Lawmakers now propose general excise tax rates and surcharges of 25 percent. This is outrageous and confiscatory on sick people. There should be no GET or surcharges on medical marijuana. Michelle "Mikie" Kerr Waikoloa, Hawaii island [end]
Back in 1986, Congress passed the Controlled Substance Analogue Enforcement Act, a law aimed at "designer drugs" that were similar to illegal compounds but different enough to escape prohibition. Nearly three decades later, the government is still scrambling to keep up with the output of creative underground chemists, banning one psychoactive substance after another, only to find substitutes already on the market. As a case the Supreme Court heard on Tuesday illustrates, the analog drug law failed because it tried to do the impossible. [continues 591 words]
Medical marijuana may just be the controversy with a solution in sight. Fifteen years ago, Hawaii's Legislature became the first in the nation to allow the use of marijuana if ordered by a doctor's prescription. Yes, although marijuana possession was still illegal on a state and federal level, if a doctor prescribed it and you could somehow get it, then you could use it to treat nausea from cancer treatment, or other problems. But you couldn't buy it; you had to grow it. [continues 461 words]
In 2000, Hawaii's Legislature was the first in the nation to pass medical marijuana legislation to provide medical relief for the state's seriously ill. Existing law recognizes the benefits of marijuana for alleviating pain and other symptoms associated with certain debilitating illnesses, but patients until now have to obtain marijuana on the "black market" or must grow their own supply of medical marijuana. The plain fact is: It does not work. Fifteen years ago, Hawaii led by example and now we must do it again by passing legislation to create a well-regulated cultivation and retail dispensary system. [continues 505 words]
Froma Harrop should give more credit to the Rand Paul, RKy., Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., and Cory Booker, D-N.J., bill ("Half a heart on marijuana better than no heart at all," Star-Advertiser, March 21). Reducing cannabis (marijuana) from its current discredited classification as a Schedule I substance alongside heroin will allow a chain reaction of credible drug law reform, all by itself. Like the original experiment with alcohol prohibition, the sequel has been not only a failure; it's one of America's worst policy failures. Cannabis prohibition has been reinforced by lies, half-truths and propaganda, perhaps none worse than the Schedule I lie. America cannot move forward without fixing that blatant injustice. Stan White Dillon, Colo. [end]
For Years, Huge Budgets and Plenty of Manpower Were the Norm - but Those Days Are Long Gone The Hawaii National Guard was a pioneer in the war on drugs, flying Huey helicopters in support of a big law enforcement roundup of marijuana plants in a 1977 Hawaii island operation called Green Harvest. Former Gov. George Ariyoshi related in a 1982 New York Times story how 49 National Guardsmen flew into Kauai's mountains by helicopter in 1981 to ferret out a dozen marijuana growers because police were afraid to go. [continues 1036 words]
Hawaii's Medical Marijuana Patients Could See Outlets As Early As Next Year The push to allow for medical marijuana dispensaries in Hawaii - some 15 years after state leaders permitted medical use of the drug - continues to advance through the Legislature, with key lawmakers in support saying they hope to give the state's nearly 13,000 medical pot patients access to such outlets by early 2016. On Wednesday the state Senate Health and Public Safety, Intergovernmental and Military Affairs committees unanimously voted to approve House Bill 321, which would create a framework to permit medical pot dispensaries across the islands. [continues 595 words]
A bipartisan trio of U.S. senators - New Jersey's Cory Booker, New York's Kirsten Gillibrand and Kentucky's Rand Paul - are sponsoring a bill to classify marijuana as a Schedule II drug, meaning the federal government would allow it be used as medicine. Some critics worry that such a bill could become a "gateway law" to full legalization of recreational weed; defenders say sick patients need the pain relief best provided by marijuana. Should the bill get approval? Joel Mathis and Ben Boychuk, the RedBlueAmerica columnists, debate the issue. [continues 531 words]
(AP) - State senators are taking up a proposal to develop a system of medical marijuana dispensaries, which would give patients legal access to the drug nearly 15 years after it became legal in Hawaii. A Senate panel heard the proposal Friday. Maria Eloisa Reyes attended the hearing with her son, who, because of a medical condition, has about 14 seizures per month despite taking several medications, she said. The seizures last as long as a half-hour. Reyes wants her son to try medical marijuana, and she has a degree in agriculture, but she doesn't believe she can grow the plant herself because she doesn't have legal access to the correct strain to help her son, she said. [continues 403 words]
Why is marijuana illegal in Hawaii? It's safer than alcohol. Don't legislators represent the people who elected them? According to a poll of Hawaii voters by QMark Research in 2014, 66 percent of respondents said they endorsed legalizing cannabis. Colorado took in $76 million in marijuana related fees and taxes in 2014. Significant portions of marijuana sales went to tourists. Colorado is also reporting 10,000 new marijuana-related jobs. Couldn't Hawaii benefit from an increase in revenue and job opportunities? [continues 62 words]
Give thanks for the little things, they say. A bill that would stop the feds from going after medical marijuana users in states that permit such activity is something for which we should give thanks. But it is little. Let's not criticize the sponsoring senators - Rand Paul, R-Ky., Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., and Cory Booker, D-N.J. - for such a small reprieve from the war on drugs. They've probably gone about as far as they could within the two-faced confines of our national politics. [continues 538 words]
A Justice Department report released last week makes a strong case that Ferguson, Mo., police officer Darren Wilson acted in self-defense when he shot and killed Michael Brown, an unarmed black teenager, last August. The report suggests that Robert McCulloch, the much-maligned St. Louis County prosecutor, made the right call when he decided not to pursue criminal charges against Wilson. McCulloch nevertheless was the wrong person to make that call. His lack of credibility, as illustrated by the upside-down grand jury process that he orchestrated to clear Wilson, highlights the need for independent prosecutors to review police shootings. [continues 574 words]
The Measure Would Allow Patients to Legally Obtain Medical Marijuana A bill to authorize the first legal medical marijuana dispensaries in Hawaii cleared a critical hurdle at the Legislature this week by winning approval from the House Finance Committee. That nod from the powerful committee that controls state funding means the bill is now positioned for a vote by the full state House of Representatives. Nearly 15 years after state lawmakers approved the prescription and use of medical marijuana, patients still have no legal way of purchasing cannabis. They are in effect legally required to grow their own supply, and officials say many are apparently relying instead on the black market for marijuana to obtain medicinal pot. [continues 526 words]
Last week the newly created Coalition for Public Safety, a bipartisan, transideological campaign to reform the criminal justice system, made a big splash by bringing together political adversaries such as Koch Industries and the Center for American Progress. Notably absent from celebrations of this strange-bedfellows alliance: any mention of actual policy changes the coalition plans to pursue. The lack of specifics was understandable but telling. While there seems to be broad agreement within the coalition about what should be done to "make our criminal justice system smarter, fairer and more cost effective," the current Congress may settle for little more than lip service to those goals. [continues 571 words]
According to the national group NORML, 18 states have decriminalized marijuana, at a minimum. Typically, according to its website, that means "no prison time or criminal record for first-time possession of a small amount for personal consumption" - essentially treating offenses like a minor traffic violation. A legislative bill that would make Hawaii the 19th such state has advanced. Passing it would make sense. Even some of those who look askance at marijuana legalization don't want to see small-time users criminalized and public money spent on prosecuting them. [end]
HONOLULU (AP) - Michelle Tippens was taking more than a dozen medications for years after a car accident left her with multiple spine fractures and traumatic brain injuries. But when she switched to medical marijuana she was able to wean herself off all of the pills, she said. Tippens is one of nearly 13,000 patients in Hawaii who have conditions that could be treated with medical marijuana. But because there are no dispensaries in Hawaii, they're left to fend for themselves, buying on the black market or growing it themselves. [continues 169 words]
The push to develop dispensaries for medical marijuana will be back in the Hawaii Legislature this week when a joint meeting of two House committees takes up the proposal. Supporters say providing legal access to marijuana for patients is long overdue, and House Speaker Joe Souki agreed with that assessment in his opening-day remarks. More than 200 pages of testimony were submitted for and against the proposal by those who feel strongly that access is needed and others who fear marijuana will fall into the hands of susceptible youths. The House's Health and Judiciary committees plan to vote on the measure Tuesday afternoon. [continues 166 words]
Jari Sugano said she supports a bill that would make dispensing marijuana easier to help her 6-year-old daughter, Maile, who suffers from seizures. "It's time to come together and support this," said Sugano, sitting next to Maile, who was in a wheelchair at a legislative hearing Saturday. State laws allow the use of marijuana for medical purposes and for people to grow or have grown enough to supply 4 ounces at a time. But Sugano and others told lawmakers Saturday that obtaining the drug is difficult because it's illegal to sell it in Hawaii. [continues 270 words]
During her confirmation hearings last week, Loretta Lynch, President Barack Obama's choice to succeed Eric Holder as attorney general, called civil forfeiture, a form of legalized theft in which the government takes people's property without accusing them of a crime, "a wonderful tool." Lynch, currently the U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of New York, suggested that innocent owners need not worry about getting hammered by this tool, because forfeiture "is done pursuant to supervision by a court," and "the protections are there." [continues 593 words]
WAILUKU, Maui (AP) - Some Maui residents say it's too expensive to get marijuana for medical purposes and the laws governing the state's medical marijuana program are inconsistent. Residents spoke at a meeting the state Department of Health held in Wailuku this week to gather public input on improving the program now that it's taking over its administration from the state Department of Public Safety, The Maui News reported. The department has held similar meetings elsewhere in the state. [continues 287 words]
Tracy Ryan, chair of the Libertarian Party of Hawaii, points out that our state should put the legalization of marijuana issue to the process of referendum, submitting a legislative measure to the voters for approval or rejection ("It's time to legalize marijuana and reap its many benefits," Star-Advertiser, Island Voices, Jan. 29). Our Legislature is too spineless to address this issue at hand, so voters of Hawaii must themselves decide by establishing an initiative, putting this question to the democratic test. Stuart N. Taba Manoa [end]
It has been a while since we had a governor whose family includes younger children. Hopefully Gov. David Ige will envision "our home" as an extension of his own, and strongly oppose illegal drugs, especially the "gateway" drug of marijuana. Our youth deserve to be launched into a society that corresponds to "just say no" and experience life with clear minds and healthy bodies. Last year our Legislature dealt with drug proposals, including one that proposed making Hawaii a major supplier of marijuana that profits from selling to other communities. [continues 51 words]
The most aloha way for the state of Hawaii to earn lots money would be simple: Legalize it! How about cannabis and viewing the hot live lava? Let people take guided tours or something, entrepreneurs will solve the liability issue. Let that blimp go up and take tourists to see the lava, hang up there and have a drink and snack and love Hawaii! Let the tourists come and sample good Hawaii buds; the medical healing cannabis centers would be world class. This would add to the healing properties of Hawaii. Since cannabis is a respected commodity, let's be cutting edge. Sara Steiner Pahoa [end]
The last time the Georgia legislature considered a bill aimed at restricting no-knock search warrants, it was prompted by a 2006 drug raid in which Atlanta police killed Kathryn Johnston, a 92-year-old woman who grabbed a revolver to defend herself against the armed men crashing into her home. This time around, the precipitating event was a 2014 drug raid in which a Habersham County SWAT team burned and mutilated a 19-month-old boy, Bounkham "Bou Bou" Phonesavanh, by tossing a flash-bang grenade into his crib. [continues 592 words]
Hawaii should not wait any longer to join the list of states that have legalized marijuana. There is simply too much at stake for us to allow our Legislature to peck away at this for five or 10 years without taking real action. Hawaii was once an important exporting state. Many of us remember the period before the Green Harvest eradication program and other measures that ruined this business here. Law enforcement turned us into a net importer from California and paved the way for our meth-amphetamine problems. Public opinion has finally caught up to common sense on marijuana issues with political pressure applied to end the enforcement efforts on the Big Island. [continues 451 words]
Inside Hawaii
