KHON2 reported, two Hawaii Senate committees voted to move forward with legislation that would legalize cannabis for adult use. The bill was approved by the Commerce and Consumer Protection Committee by a vote of 3-1 with one abstention and by the Health and Human Services Committee by a vote of 2-1 with two excused.
If passed, this legislation would legalize retail sales to people over the age of 21 and apply a tax to the transactions. The cannabis excise tax wouldn’t apply to the sale of cannabis for medical purposes. This bill would also create the Hawaii Cannabis Authority. The Hawaii Cannabis Authority would have to come up with rules for the industry by December 1, 2024. The application process would have to start by January 31, 2025, and licenses would have to be given out by March 30, 2025.
The proposed legislation would make it legal for adults to carry up to four ounces of cannabis.
Sen. Joy San Buenaventura, who is a Democrat and chairs the Health and Human Services Committee, said that the changes would help people and “bring about not just a triumph for individual liberties and reform of the criminal justice system, but it would also create prospects for fresh sources of income and economic advancement in the state,” according to a report by Ganjapreneur.
The bill is now being sent to the Senate Committee on Ways and Means and the Senate Judiciary Committee for more discussion.
