Hawai‘i was close to being able to celebrate 4/20 legally this year.
On March 19, Hawai‘i’s House Committee for Commerce and Consumer Protection approved a bill legalizing recreational marijuana (for people 21 and over) that barely passed 7-3. But the bill was killed two weeks later in the House.
This was yet another setback for a state that was the first in the U.S. to legalize medical marijuana in 2000 and decriminalize personal use in 2019, according to USA Today. I don’t even smoke pakalolo, but everyone in Hawai’i knows what it is, and many people are smoking it already, like the 24 states where it’s legal. I’m smart enough to know that this was just free money that the state could have used.
“I was really bummed,” said a student majoring in Environmental Science who asked that their identity remained anonymous. “I understand their thoughts about marijuana use while driving and how it can be dangerous, but if the bill did pass they would be able to legally sell and bring money into our economy. It would also be more available for the people who already smoke marijuana, like me.”
According to the Department of the Attorney General’s report, the list of concerns stated was the illicit market, driving while high, public health, and the protection of children.
House leaders are concerned about crime rates increasing, accident rates increasing, and marijuana being more available for children. According to Hawaii News Now, Honolulu Prosecutor Steve Alm was pleased it died and stated, “I think the House members have never really been asked to study this before. I think they looked at what was happening in other states, and they decided the research is not looking so good about legalizing marijuana.”
Yet, according to the National Drug Intelligence Center Hawaii Drug Threat Assessment, it states, “Violence generally is not associated with marijuana distribution or abuse in Hawaii. However, officers with the Hawaii County Police Department occasionally encounter growers who employ violent measures to protect their cultivation operations.” So, some research was being done on marijuana, but if the state were genuinely considering the legalization of marijuana, more research would have been done.
They just beat around the bush for this bill. Like Alm stated, they’re looking at other states and the effects other states had from legalizing marijuana. Comparing Hawai‘i to the rest of the states is unfair. The Attorney General’s report on page 12 used the example from California in 2019. The example was that in California in 2019, the year after cannabis became legal, the illicit cannabis smuggling arrests at LAX airport increased by 166%.
First of all, California is known for its marijuana, so it would be expected that people will try to smuggle it for money. But, according to research done by the United States Sentencing Commission, marijuana trafficking has decreased by 61.9% since 2018.
According to the Honolulu Star Advertiser, House Finance Chair Kyle Yamashita, who declined to hold a vote, effectively killing the bill, mentioned that Hawaii is prioritizing the financial demands to help Maui recover from the deadly Aug. 8 wildfires. According to Hawaii News Now, a state-sponsored working group found that legalizing marijuana would generate $34 million to $53 million in tax revenue annually.
Can you imagine what this state could do with an extra $50 million in tax revenue? It could contribute to Hawai’i’s education. According to the State Public Charter School Commission, 90% of individuals’ brains develop before age five, and about half of Hawai’i’s keiki do not attend preschool. The money could create free preschool education for the keiki in Hawai’i.
“I feel like they were just making excuses so they won’t pass the bill,” said a student from Waianae who requested anonymity. “I’m a smoker, and I feel it would be super beneficial for Hawai‘i. Maybe things wouldn’t be as expensive, and they could have used the profits to help with the Lahaina fire damages. I also saw that they were worried about what tourist think, the tourist come here for the beaches and the views. There are plenty people that smoke weed on the Waikiki strip and beaches, I don’t see the tourists being bothered by it. If anything they might come from states where it’s legal.”