By Hawaii will have to wait at least another year for marijuana legalization to come to the islands after legislative proposals stalled in Hawaii’s House of Representatives.
Earlier this month, the Hawaii state Senate overwhelmingly passed a bill legalizing adult-use marijuana and establishing a regulatory framework for the recreational marijuana market.
However, the bill “was not scheduled for a legislative hearing before the critical legislative date.” According to MJBiz Daily, This means that the proposal will likely expire in 2023.
It’s a familiar result for marijuana advocates in Hawaii, where Democrats control both houses of Congress. Governor Josh Greene is also a Democrat.
Reported by MJBizDaily The state’s senior House of Representatives leader also “destroyed three previous legalization proposals put before its legislature in February, when those bills also had no hearings scheduled.”
Despite smooth passage through the state Senate, the legalization bill was destined to meet obstacles in the state House as well.
“We think it’s best to wait for states to approve recreational marijuana use,” said House Speaker Scott Saiki, one of the leaders on that floor. According to the outlet Sybil Beat, And he said, “I’d love to see the working group analyze the ideas over the summer.”
The bill passed two state Senate committees earlier this month, and one of the legislative committees made a number of amendments to the bill.
According to local news station KHON2, These fixes include: Added language to establish civil penalties for unlicensed cannabis cultivation and distribution activities. 2. Added language to protect employers seeking to ban the use of cannabis among their employees. 3. No advertising within 1,000 feet of her from a youth-focused area. 4. Proposed licenses for growing, manufacturing, testing and retail facilities that would ensure a properly regulated industry while also preventing future consolidation and monopoly control of cannabis dispensaries.
The bill was approved by the entire state Senate in a 22-3 vote.
Green, who was elected governor last year, has voiced his support for legalizing marijuana.
“I don’t think people are already culturally concerned about it,” Green said at last year’s governors’ debate. “But this is what I do. First of all, if marijuana is legalized, it should be very closely monitored and only done like tobacco. We need to take $40 million in tax dollars out of the dollar and invest in developing and rebuilding a mental health system for all.”
When the bill passed the state Senate this month, the governor’s advisers said the bill is likely to receive his signature.
“Governor Green will provide legislation that supports the legal use of cannabis by adults, protects public safety and consumers, and ensures product safety through testing and tracing. These are complex issues, so he encourages his department to voice their concerns and make suggestions if there are ways to mitigate them. It indicates that if the bill passes Congress laying out his main concerns, he is likely to sign it.
There is also public support for legalization to tie in with political support. A poll released earlier this year found that 52% of him in Hawaii favored legalizing adult marijuana, while only 31% opposed it.
