Hawaii House Speaker Files Marijuana Legalization Bill
Hawaii House Speaker Joseph Souki (D-8) Friday introduced a bill to legalize the possession of marijuana by adults and create a system of taxed and regulated legal marijuana commerce. The measure, House Bill 150, would allow people 21 and over to possess up to an ounce and grow an as yet unspecified number of plants in a secure location.
The bill passed its first reading Friday, but has yet to be sent to a committee. The 2013 legislative session begins Tuesday.
"Regulating and taxing marijuana similarly to alcohol takes marijuana sales out of the hands of criminals and puts them behind the counter in legitimate businesses that will generate significant new revenue for Hawaii," said Mason Tvert, director of communications at the Marijuana Policy Project, which is working on passage of the bill. "Law enforcement resources should be focused on preventing and responding to serious crimes rather than enforcing antiquated marijuana prohibition laws."
In addition to allowing adult possession and cultivation, the bill would also authorize the state to license marijuana retail stores, cultivation facilities, product manufacturing facilities, and testing facilities. Public pot smoking, driving under the influence, and use by individuals under the age of 21 would remain illegal.
The bill introduction comes on the heels of the release earlier this month of a QMark Research Poll that showed support for legalization at 57%. That poll was sponsored by the Drug Policy Action Group, a sister group of the Drug Policy Forum of Hawaii, and the ACLU of Hawaii, suggesting that local as well as national reform groups are pushing the bill.
In the wake of the legalization victories in Colorado and Washington last November, at least a half dozen states are expected to entertain legalization bills. Hawaii is first out the gate; the others are Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont.
It's really about time they passed laws like this across the entire U.S. Marijuana is significantly milder, safer and less addictive than alcohol and we could prevent a lot of the harm that's caused by alcohol by letting people choose marijuana instead of alcohol.
And from a parent's point of view, it'd make my children a lot safer if we had legally-grown marijuana being sold to adults in stores rather than illegal marijuana being sold to children on the street -- which is what we have right now and which is what we're going to continue to have as long as the federal marijuana prohibition's in place.
If I have to contact my legislators to get marijuana legalized like beer and wine then that's just what I'll do!
It's also milder, safer and less addictive than oxycontin, which as far as I can tell is handed out in buckets.
Quoting Jillian86:It's really about time they passed laws like this across the entire U.S. Marijuana is significantly milder, safer and less addictive than alcohol and we could prevent a lot of the harm that's caused by alcohol by letting people choose marijuana instead of alcohol.
And from a parent's point of view, it'd make my children a lot safer if we had legally-grown marijuana being sold to adults in stores rather than illegal marijuana being sold to children on the street -- which is what we have right now and which is what we're going to continue to have as long as the federal marijuana prohibition's in place.
If I have to contact my legislators to get marijuana legalized like beer and wine then that's just what I'll do!
Vocal anti gay marriage, award winning far right historian kills himself inside Notre-Dame Cathedral
- Goodwoman614
on Jan. 23, 2013 at 3:42 AM