Title:
Submit testimony in favor of regulated dispensaries and decriminalization
Message:
On Thursday, February
24, at 9:00 a.m. in Room 211 of the State Capitol, the Senate Committee on Ways and Means will
have a hearing on a bill that would allow
regulated dispensing of medical marijuana. The committee will meet again the following day — Friday, February 25 — at 9:00 a.m. in Room 211 of the State Capitol for a hearing on a bill that would reduce the
penalty for possession of up to an ounce of marijuana to a simple civil fine! Please
submit written testimony in support of both of these bills today.
SB 1458
would create three classes of licenses to allow state-regulated compassion
centers, and would ensure that medical marijuana patients in Hawaii have safe
and reliable access to the medicine that their physicians recommend. SB
1460 would replace the current criminal penalty for possession of up to
an ounce of marijuana with a simple civil fine of $100, saving the state money
in enforcement costs and ending the draconian practice of saddling otherwise
law-abiding individuals with a criminal record for possession of a plant safer
than alcohol.
Both of these bills have already passed the Senate Committee
on Health and the Senate Committee on Public Safety, Government Operations, and
Military Affairs. The Committee on Ways and Means is the last stop before a
full Senate vote. Please
consider submitting written testimony in support of both pieces of legislation directly
to the committee.
These committee hearings will be “decision making only,”
meaning they will only accept written testimony. It is important that committee
members have as much supportive testimony at their disposal as possible. Please use our
talking points to craft your written testimony today.
