Senate Bill 669, a measure that would legalize adult-use cannabis in Hawaiʻi, passed the Senate Committees on Commerce and Consumer Protection and Ways and Means today.
During the hearing, Senator Jarrett Keohokalole (District 24 – Kāneʻohe and Kailua), who chairs the Senate Committee on Commerce and Consumer Protection, proposed a number of amendments that were incorporated to tackle issues that had been raised in earlier hearings.
These amendments include:
· Adding language establishing civil penalties for unlicensed cannabis grow and distribution activities
· Adding language that protects employers who seek to prohibit cannabis use among their employees
· Prohibiting advertising within 1,000 feet of any youth-centered area
· Proposing licensing of cultivation, manufacturing, testing, and retail facilities that ensure a properly regulated industry while also preventing future consolidation and monopoly control of cannabis dispensaries
“Today marks a significant step forward in the legalization of adult-use cannabis in Hawaiʻi. These amendments are reflective of the Senate’s commitment to ensuring a fair and well-regulated cannabis market that provides safe access to both adult consumers and existing medical patients,” noted Senator Keohokalole. “If legalization of adult-use cannabis is something that is supported by the Governor, we hope his administration, which has thus far opposed every proposal to legalize adult-use cannabis, will work with us to bring this to fruition.”
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