Hawaiʻi Democrats Host 4/20 Forum to Discuss Future of Cannabis

Employees inspect marijuana plants at Green Man Cannabis growing facility in Colorado. Photo credit: Green Man Cannabis.

April 20th, or “4/20” is a date that has become associated in popular culture with smoking and celebrating cannabis.  On Thursday, 4/20, the Democratic Party of Hawaiʻi will host a forum to discuss the future of cannabis in the state.

The informational forum will serve to educate party members and the public at large on the debate surrounding cannabis and efforts currently underway at both the state and federal levels.

The conversation will be wide-ranging and touch upon decriminalization and de-scheduling efforts in Congress, decriminalization bills at the Hawai‘i State Legislature, the national trend toward legalization in other states and municipalities, the current status of measures relating to medical dispensaries across the state, and the health benefits of cannabis for Hawai‘i patients.

Here on Maui, the Maui Grown Therapies medical cannabis dispensary is ramping up for sales to start later this summer.

Panelists include US Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard (with a brief presentation via videoconference from Maui); Sen. Will Espero, Me Fuimaono-Poe, Medical Director and founder of the Maile Cannabis Clinic; and Pamela Lichty, MPH President of the Drug Policy Forum of Hawai‘i. A member is the Hawai‘i State House of Representatives has also been invited to join and will be confirmed on Tuesday.

The forum will be moderated by Christopher Garth, Executive Director of the Hawai‘i Dispensary Alliance. The event will begin at 5:30 p.m. with a legislation summary by Rep. Gabbard and continue with presentations from other panelists and a Q & A until 7:30 p.m.

Tickets to the event are sold-out, so the DPH will be live-streaming the event via Facebook through the DPH page.