The attorney general of Hawaii has stated that she will not oppose marijuana legalization and will instead work with stakeholders and lawmakers to help promote the reform.
Attorney General Anne Lopez (D), who was sworn in by the governor on December, but needs to be confirmed by the Senate for a full term, was asked Wednesday by a committee member if it was the department’s position “automatically oppose to” legalization bills. This is what it has done historically.
Lopez stated that “We won’t flat-out opposed it” during her confirmation hearing before Senate Judiciary Committee. The committee ultimately approved Lopez’s nomination. “I believe that the legislature is best able to make these decisions with respect to the policy.”
Then, she made an unexpected commitment to work closely with legislators in order to create comprehensive reform legislation.
Lopez stated that her office would be leading an administrative task force between now and the next legislative session to create a complete regulatory-law enforcement legislative package you can attach to any legislation if you plan to legalize cannabis.
She said, “We’re going use the summer and our experiences thus far–as also the experience of other States–to ensure that we can build a structure that will permit the state to legalize recreational marijuana with as many problems as the other countries on the mainland have experienced.”
According to the official, the department is willing to be part of the separate legalization work group being proposed in the legislative resolution. However, she plans to organize a multi-agency effort that brings together the Department of Health, Department of Agriculture, and law enforcement agencies, “so we can have consensus that the executive branch will support what we’re creating.”
Lopez stated, “I have changed our position from opposition towards ‘that train is leaving the station’.” Let’s help you. Let’s help you to implement the law or policy you desire.
The Senate passed an adult-use marijuana legalization bill last week, but it was blocked in the House for this year. Advocates and lawmakers are now shifting their attention to 2024, which is also what the attorney general wants.
Since the session isn’t over, the bill will not have to return to the Senate’s starting line next year. This could allow on-the-fence House legislators more time to review and refine the legislation as Speaker Scott Saiki (D), previously stated he would like to do so over the summer.
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Over several sessions, legislators have attempted to legalize the Aloha State. In 2021 the Senate also approved the reform, but it failed to pass a House committee by an important deadline.
Former Democratic governor Dave Ige was a difficult advocate. He said that he wasn’t willing to allow legalization because it would conflict with federal law. This is despite Hawaii’s medical marijuana system allowing people to grow and sale cannabis, in violation of broad federal prohibition.
Now that Gov. Activists are now encouraged by the fact that Josh Green (D), Gov. In November, he said he would sign a bill to legalize marijuana for adults. He already has ideas on how tax revenue from cannabis sales could be used.
The Hawaii Senate passed a Tuesday bill to establish an advisory council to examine possible regulations to allow federal “breakthrough therapies” such as MDMA and psilocybin.
Representatives from the health department stated that they felt it would be more meaningful for legislators to just legalize certain psychedelics in preparation for their possible federal approval as medicines.
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Photo by Mike Latimer.
The post Hawaii Attorney general Now Supports Marijuana Legalization. Pledging To Work To Enact Reform Next year appeared first at Marijuana Moment.
