Adult-use cannabis bill heads to Senate floor for final consideration

A measure that would legalize adult-use cannabis in Hawaiʻi, passed the Senate Committees on Commerce and Consumer Protection and Ways and Means on Thursday, and now heads to the Senate floor for consideration.  

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 to Senate Bill 669, 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,” said Senator Keohokalole in a news release. “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.”