By Wendy Osher

Maui police confiscated 1,232 marijuana plants and arrested a Makawao man during a drug bust on Piiholo Road. MPD July 2009 File photo.

Members of the Maui Police Department will be distributing informational pamphlets today and tomorrow as apart of an effort to gain public backing on their legislative priorities for 2011. The pamphlets detail expert testimony on medial marijuana and related health risks.

The MPD along with other state and local Law Enforcement agencies support the passage of House Bill 1169 that would clarify the state’s medical marijuana usage laws.

• The bill would require that physicians actually have a physical office to see and treat their patients.
• The measure also further defines debilitating medical condition as persons suffering from cancer or glaucoma, or those testing positive for HIV or AIDS.
• If passed, the bill would also require physicians to sign a statement indicating that the potential benefits of the medical marijuana would likely outweigh the health risks for the qualifying patient.
• The measure also would increase the penalty for a fraudulent application from a petty misdemeanor to a Class C felony.

The Maui Police Department also opposes the following bills;

• SB 58 – which would increase the amount of marijuana one could posses,
• SB 175 – which transfer the jurisdiction over medical marijuana laws from the Department of Public Safety to the Department of Health,
• SB 1458 – which would create three classes of medical marijuana licenses and
• SB 1460 – which would establish a civil violation for the possession of one ounce or less of marijuana that is subject to fine of not more than $100 and would delete the reporting requirements of the board of education for students possessing one ounce or less off marijuana.