On Jan. 11, members from Marijuana Coverage Challenge (MPP), the Drug Coverage Discussion board of Hawaii, and ACLU of Hawaii, spoke at a press convention held on the capitol in Honolulu. The assembly was prompted by Hawaii Rep. Jeanné Kapela to announce her hashish laws which can goal felony justice reform and different necessary concerns.
First up was DeVaughn Ward, MPP’s Senior Legislative Counsel, who began the convention by talking concerning the significance of introducing profitable laws as quickly as doable. “Marijuana prohibition has brought on immeasurable hurt to our communities, notably communities of colour,” said Ward. “Hashish legalization is a chance to cease the hurt to our residents and the waste of restricted public security sources.”
Subsequent, Drug Coverage Discussion board of Hawaii’s Nikos Leverenz described upcoming hashish laws as a “important alternative” for legislators to handle the wants of these affected by the Warfare on Medication. “Hawaii’s hashish coverage ought to middle the wants of these broken by the continued criminalization of hashish and draconian drug legislation enforcement,” said Leverenz. “On the similar time, a correctly regulated adult-use market will create many high quality jobs and enterprise alternatives throughout the state, together with these associated to hashish tourism, craft hashish, and hashish science.”
He additionally famous that in his official assertion to the press, he requested that if the crimson state of Missouri can legalize hashish, what’s stopping Hawaii from transferring ahead. He defined that hashish crops would thrive in Hawaii, particularly in the event that they introduced in craft hashish growers, the trade might contribute to a powerful tourism sector for the state. “Hawaii has a uncommon alternative this yr to maneuver ahead and to guard public well being and to create high quality jobs and financial alternative throughout the state, together with our neighbor island communities,” he concluded.
George Cordero from ACLU Hawaii spoke on the inhumane situations of confinement in overpopulated Hawaii prisons attributable to low-level hashish convictions, and the long-term results of getting hashish on a private file. “Having a marijuana conviction in your file could make it extraordinarily troublesome to get employment, apply for a bank card, safe housing, for work the remainder of your life,” Cordero said. “Because of this clearing individuals’s marijuana convictions is a crucial situation to this legalization measure.”
Kapela took the stage. “Everyone knows, and Hawaii’s individuals know, that it’s excessive time to legalize leisure hashish use for adults in Hawaii. This yr we stand on the precipice of historical past,” she explained. “Following the suggestions of a process power dedicated to addressing hashish coverage, we now have a roadmap for legalizing leisure hashish in our islands,” Kapela stated, referring to a report published by the Hawaii Division of Well being hashish process power in December 2022.
Kapela didn’t specify a timeline for when her invoice could be proposed, however defined a number of key factors, together with serving to the state’s mass incarceration dilemma by issuing a mass expungement program. “Social fairness. Individuals. That’s what types the guts of our proposal,” she defined.
Beforehand in March 2021, the Hawaii Senate permitted two hashish reform payments that in the end didn’t transfer ahead.
Former Hawaii Gov. David Ige was not a stark supporter of hashish legalization, and sometimes said his hesitancy due to its federally unlawful standing. Nonetheless, he did enable a invoice to be handed with out his signature in January 2020, which decriminalized hashish within the state.
Nonetheless, newly elected Gov. Josh Inexperienced stated in November 2022 that he would signal a legalization invoice. “I feel that individuals have already got moved previous that culturally as a priority,” Inexperienced stated throughout a debate in October 2022. “However right here’s what I might do. To begin with, if marijuana is legalized, it needs to be very rigorously monitored, and solely accomplished like cigarettes, or I’ve been very cautious to manage tobacco over time. We must always take the $30 to $40 million of taxes we’d get from that and spend money on the event and recreation of our psychological healthcare system for the nice of all.”