LIHUE Kauai representatives say letting a marijuana legalization measure fall through the cracks on Friday is a good thing.
LIHUE — Kauai representatives say letting a marijuana legalization measure fall through the cracks on Friday is a good thing.
“Hawaii isn’t ready for legalization,” said Rep. Daynette “Dee” Morikawa, House majority floor leader. “We need to get the medicinal use fixed first, which includes getting all dispensaries in place.”
She said she agrees with Rep. Della Au Belatti, House majority leader, who says she believes Hawaii will legalize adult use of marijuana at some time — just not yet.
“Let’s do it right and not rush it. We will be focusing on the decriminalization first, to address overcrowding of our correctional facilities,” Morikawa said.
Rep. Jimmy Tokioka said the issue of legalizing marijuana “is a very big concern.”
“I’m not supporting any legislation to decriminalize, which would actually make it legal, marijuana,” he wrote Friday. “I’m not voting for any bill that would legalize recreational marijuana.”
— Jessica Else, The Garden Island
Their arguments as cited in this article are poor excuses at best. They don’t want to rush it- why, aren’t they capable of drafting legislation especially in light of the fact more than a handful of states have already provided precedence? It is just sad that this continues to be an issue especially in Hawaii.
It’s all about the money people… anyone raised on Kauai knows that pot is part of life here for much of the population
It’s going to be tough to NOT legalize it…it’s growing wild along the highways on the West side between Kalaheo and Kekaha, and along the rim of the coffee bean fields of Kauai Coffee.
Aloha Kakou, and Dee and Jimmie,
…but pakalolo seems so benign, especially in the face of, and compare to, mistakes of alcohol caused fatalities, alcohol’s domestic dangers and ruinations, personal foolishness, stupidity, sickness, embarrassment, and regrets.
…and marijuana pales in compare to satanic meth, the world’s mistake of heroin suffering, the greedy world distribution of cocaine to the weak and foolish…
…but pot is just another thread in the sweater of societal ignoring of reality, a cause of the blatant blindness of ones direction in life, the collective dismantling of a strong community, a stoned blurred perspective on responsibility, a “stuffy” head that blinds decisions, false path to obesity through artificial hunger, hours days weeks months years to decades of dropping out from the God given course in life never to be allowed to retrace or restore it, and make optimal,time lost forever, the slow accumulation of loss of health via lung congestion and diminished oxygen leaving an astute brain craving for its nutrient.
…yes Dee and Jimmy, we will never truly be ready for another “stone” in our path…for what lies next in the bag of tricks of sinister science and its petrochemical greed of more mass marketing of drugs, things that destroy young minds with anti-motivation and delay of moving forward and upward on a natural life’s direction, human potential suffocated literally by smoke.
…don’t leave out a block of cheese for the rat, a $100 bill for the thief, a fattening chocolate cream pie for the obese, don’t tempt the weak or lost souls with unnecessary diversion, don’t throw away your child’s food money on another dose of dope, don’t cast your fate to the wind of exhaled pakaloSMOKE…don’t waste what little precious time you have on this earth journey, you only have a few decades left regardless of your age as even 10 (decades) is a small number.
Thank you Dee and Jimmie and the others for not making easier what is already easy to abuse.
They may say that it is natural, yes, but so is “poison oak”, and would you rub that on your skin…stuuuuupiiid…!
God did not leave it in the forest to be found, it was left to be ignored, just like poison hemlock, skunks and grizzly bears…!
Ask for a recommendation from those who have left alcohol and pakalolo behind by 5, 10, 20+ years already…doubt you’ll find a +recommendation.
You did the right thing..Mahalo,
Charlie
You talk about pakalolo as if it were man made !!!!. It’s a plant than comes from the earth . Te igher er created it for a reason what you do with it is up to you …..
…and so is stupidity…
And while pot is plant based so is opium and cocaine.
Sounds like the unHoly Trinity.
Unfortunately our legislators haven’t learned that you can’t legislate habits or substances. Kicking this can down the road keeps Hawaii behind the times and has an economic cost–can you think of a crop better suited to Hawaii’s agriculture than pot? Especially now that pineapple and sugar have gone the way of the dodo. Some years ago when Hawaii was considering legalizing pot and considering gay marriage, the legislature, like today, hesitated. Passing those issues early would have put Hawaii at the forefront economically–can you imagine the boost to the wedding industry had gay marriage passed at that time in Hawaii? Or if Hawaii had legalized marijuana and opened the door to pot (and hemp as well) to be well ahead of what was happening anyway? I’m sorry we’ve lost forward-looking representatives who think “we’re not ready.” We can make that judgement for ourselves, personally! Get with it, Tokioka and Morikawa!
We’re “waiting” for medical marijuana dispensaries to be set up before legalization? What kind of sense does that make? It’s been a very slow, very politicized, expensive process. Legalization could take care of that in the blink of an eye. What’s in it for our elected officials to wait on something they plan to do in the future? They’re out of line judging what people are “ready” for when it’s a personal choice in the first place.
Not ready? That usually means they haven’t figured out how to make the most money from the change before they okay it. Is that what’s happening here?
Another fatality on the same bypass road yesterday (Ala Kinoiki) in Koloa —that’s 2 in two weeks. 4 or 5 fatalities on island in just the last 6 weeks people. Until we get two-lane divided highways the death count will keep rising with the population (which is now north of 70k). While visual assessments can be made to detect alcohol impairment (weaving, etc.) and cops can make you walk a straight line or give you a breathalizer, there are no tests in place to help enforce various levels of marijuana usage. I don’t think we have a handle yet on dealing with electronic distractions and device usage. Then let’s talk about the meth problem here. I have nothing against people using weed, unless they’re trying to steer a 4,000lb. fast moving projectile on the same road as me.
If they legalize pakalolo, how would this help bring in income for some of the pakalolo weed dealers? If that is the point you’re getting across. It’s all about money. I see no reason to legalize pakalolo, anymore than that is to say legalize gambling. Unless you break it down. Gambling because it’s their money. Pakalolo, because it is their bodies that they are polluting. Make sense. But if they run out of health? Aloha! No help for you. What is the big deal on the other end? Just let them suckers die slowly. Really. I won’t mind.
Charlie Chimknee you are full of hot air.
Aloha John Schotanus, but pakalolo makes your lungs full of hot air and destructive too. I thought my poignant comment was poetic…or was that vice verse. If you smoke 2 joints before you smoke 2 joints then beware…you’ll smoke 2 more…
Thank you Dee and Jimmy, we don’t need recreational marijuana. Look what happened to the states that did so, such a drain on the community
So glad I never vote for those two! The stupidest thing I’ve heard in a while…. “letting a marijuana legalization measure fall through the cracks on Friday is a good thing” im appalled at the ignorance ive read in the comments as if marijuana is right up there with alcohol and meth… it does not impair judgement like that… you people need to educated yourselves and actually read up on the benefits of marijuana and it’s positive effects not all the negative hype…
Alaska, Canada, Washington, Oregon, California, our neighbors who have legalized recreational use. Some already several years in, and safe to say, it really hasn’t adversely affected our society, no more impaired people than before, If anything, they have found from more research that Cannabis has many benefits. Sad to relate though, after the initial demand, state and local over taxation, and over regulation, has helped to soften the market, and has not provided the panacea to their budgets. For a plant that has been used by our species for well over 10’s of thousands of years, I frankly could care about legalization…Hawai’i isn’t the only place with dimwit politico’s, righteous talking heads!!