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MARIJUANA MOMENT

HAWAII GOVERNOR SAYS LEGALIZING MARIJUANA CAN ‘BLUNT’ NEGATIVE EFFECTS OF OTHER
‘HORRIBLE’ DRUGS


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POLITICS


HAWAII GOVERNOR SAYS LEGALIZING MARIJUANA CAN ‘BLUNT’ NEGATIVE EFFECTS OF OTHER
‘HORRIBLE’ DRUGS

Published

3 hours ago

on

February 8, 2024

By

Ben Adlin

Hawaii Gov. Josh Green (D) spoke about the state’s path to marijuana
legalization this legislative session during an interview this week, calling the
policy change a “big social issue that remains” to be addressed in the state and
saying he’d likely sign a bill to end cannabis prohibition if one is sent to him
by lawmakers.

But Green also said the change “is a little more complicated because the feds
have not changed the way they schedule marijuana yet, which is really wacko.”

The governor also pushed back against opponents’ fears that legal cannabis would
cause public health problems in the state, saying it could actually bring some
benefits.

Cannabis café bill gets reintroduced

Cannabis café bill gets reintroduced
California Assemblymember Matt Haney has reintroduced a bill to create
Amsterdam-style cannabis cafes in the state. Governor Newsom vetoed a similar
bill last year, which would have allowed cannabis dispensaries to sell food and
host live concerts. Assemblymember Haney joined us on 'The Nine' to talk about
how it could reshape the cannabis landscape across California.
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“I don’t think the sky would fall, honestly, if marijuana were legalized,” Green
told Hawaii News Now in an interview that aired on Tuesday, adding: “I also have
some thoughts that marijuana might blunt the effect, if you will, of people on
these heavy drugs, these horrible drugs.”

Though Hawaii has among the lowest drug overdose death rates in the country,
according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) data, 269 people
died of drug overdoses in the state in 2021, the most recent year for which data
is available.



Cannabis, by contrast, “is a relative sedative,” the governor said.

“People are far less violent. They are much hungrier, but they—aside from the
snacking and stealing Cheetos—will probably do less harm,” he quipped.

Legalization advocates struggled under former Democratic Gov. Dave Ige, who
resisted the reform in part because he said he was reluctant to pass something
that conflicts with federal law. But since Green took office, activists have
felt more emboldened. He’s said since 2022 that he’d sign a legalization bill.





Green wasn’t able to offer a solid prediction on whether this would be the year
Hawaii adopts a legalization law, however, saying it depends on whether a reform
bill clears the legislature.



“It could happen,” he said. “I still feel that we should allow adults to choose
how they want to behave in every way, as long as they’re not hurting other
people. And so I would sign a bill, if the legislature brought it up to the
fifth floor.”

The proposal would need to be safe and not make it “too easy for kids to get,”
he added.

“You have to be a little careful, that’s all,” Green said, noting that brains
continue developing into a person’s 20s.



Legislation offered by Attorney General Anne Lopez (D) “has given some basic
standards on safety that she’d like to see if we do pass it,” the governor said.
That was formally introduced late last month by Rep. David Tarnas (D) in the
House and Sen. Jarrett Keohokalole (D) in the Senate.

Legalization advocates have generally applauded the advancement of a framework
for legalization, but they’ve also said that Lopez’s plan is too punitive and
still frames marijuana as a law enforcement issue.

“Placing a velvet glove of legalization on law enforcement’s iron hand is not
what is called for,” Nikos Leverenz, of the Drug Policy Forum of Hawai’i and the
Hawai’i Health and Harm Reduction Center, told Marijuana Moment after the bill
was formally introduced.

Karen O’Keefe, director of state policies for Marijuana Policy Project, said
the bills as introduced “might actually do more harm than good to the cause of
cannabis justice.”



Some changes have been made to the proposal since it was offered by AG Lopez.
Among them, the latest bill would raise the planned DUI limit on drivers from 5
nanograms per milliliter of blood to 10 ng/mL. But advocates have said the per
se limit will still ensnare sober drivers who potentially used the drug days
earlier.

Expungement language has also been added to the bill to create a process
allowing people to have certain past cannabis convictions erased, but advocates
say the process laid out in the current version is unclear. It says the records
“shall be ordered to be expunged” but later refers to a petition process under
which individuals could ask a court to expunge their records beginning in 2026.



The bill also would create new criminal penalties for people under 21 found in
possession of marijuana, who could face up to 30 days in jail and a fine of up
to $1,000 for possession of up to three grams. People 18 to 20 could seek
deferred prosecution and probation, however. Minors would be sent to family
court and could petition the court for expungement after completing their
sentences.

Advocates would also like to see the addition of nondiscrimination protections
for people who consume cannabis, as other states have included.

Opponents of the legalization—including one of Green’s gubernatorial
predecessors—however, spoke out against the proposed change at an event this
week.

“I’m urging all of our legislators and the governor to think very hard about
this, not to do it because others are doing it,” former Gov. Linda Lingle (R)
said, according to an Island News report on the event



Lingle joined Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi (I), Prosecutor Steve Alm and four
county police chiefs at the event, where the opponents expressed concerns about
teen marijuana use.

“If you think increasing availability or making something more popular will cut
down on these types of scenarios, you’re sorely mistaken,” Big Island Police
Chief Ben Moszkowicz said, according to Honolulu Civil Beat.

According to a number of studies, however, most evidence shows that cannabis use
has generally remained flat or even declined among teens since legalization.
Among other research, a federally funded survey in 2022 concluded that
legalization was not associated with increased teen use.

Others at the opposition event warned that the change would lead to more crime
and a decrease in tourism.

In the Hawaii News Now interview, the governor also touched on the state’s
medical marijuana program, saying he thought provisions were “restrictive.” He
likened his stance on the issue to abortion.

“You know how we had this larger conversation about staying out of people’s
business on women’s reproductive rights? We just said, ‘Look, that’s between a
woman and her doctor,'” he said. “I feel that way about other things, like
medical marijuana, and the rules have sometimes been restrictive for someone who
chooses to manage their pain or anxiety or nausea with medical marijuana.”

“If I had my way, I would lift all those restrictions,” he continued, “so it
simply was a matter between a physician and her patient. That would be fine,
too, and that would go a long way.”



Democrats in control of Hawaii’s Senate said last month that cannabis
legalization is one of their top priorities this legislative session, framing
the reform as a means to boost the state’s economy.

Last year the Senate passed a separate legalization bill that has stalled the
House. But legislators have signaled that 2024 may be the year that legalization
becomes law.

In addition to the AG-drafted bill, a separate marijuana legalization measure
that advanced through the Senate in March is also still in play in the state’s
two-year legislative session.

Meanwhile in the legislature, two House committees advanced a separate bill this
month that would create explicit legal protections around the therapeutic use of
psilocybin. Eligible patients would be able to possess and consume the
psychedelic under a trained facilitator’s care.

> Congressional Researchers Say Lack Of Banking Access Makes Marijuana
> Businesses ‘Heavily Reliant On Cash’ And Targets Of Crime



Photo courtesy of Max Pixel.

Marijuana Moment is made possible with support from readers. If you rely on our
cannabis advocacy journalism to stay informed, please consider a monthly Patreon
pledge.

Related Topics:featured

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Ben Adlin


Ben Adlin, a senior editor at Marijuana Moment, has been covering cannabis and
other drug policy issues professionally since 2011. He was previously a senior
news editor at Leafly, an associate editor at the Los Angeles Daily Journal and
a Coro Fellow in Public Affairs. He lives in Washington State.



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