Hawaii

Hawaii Marijuana Legalization Bill One Step Away From Senate Approval

Published

2 years ago

March 4, 2024

Hawaii Marijuana Legalization Bill One Step Away From Senate Approval

Two legislative committees last week approved a bill to legalize recreational marijuana in Hawaii, leaving the measure one step away from approval in the state Senate. The legislation, Senate Bill 3335, was approved by the Senate Ways and Means Committee and the Senate Commerce and Consumer Protection Committee on Friday. The next step before final approval of the bill in the Hawaii Senate is a floor vote by the full body, which could come as soon as this week, according to a report from online cannabis news source Marijuana Moment.

If passed, the legislation would legalize the use of cannabis by adults 21 and older, who would be permitted to possess up to one ounce of marijuana and up to five grams of cannabis concentrates. The bill also allows for the home cultivation of up to six cannabis plants by adults and creates a new state agency that would be tasked with regulating the commercial production and sale of marijuana and hemp.

A bill to legalize recreational marijuana in Hawaii could be approved by the state Senate this week … [+] after last week’s approval of the bill by two legislative committees.

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Senate Bill 3335 and a companion measure in the House of Representatives were introduced in the Hawaii legislature by Democratic lawmakers in January. The bills are based on a recreational marijuana legalization proposal offered by Attorney General Anne Lopez last year.

Committees Approve Amendments To Bill

Before voting to approve the measure on Friday, the two Senate committees held a joint hearing to consider several amendments to the legislation. One amendment approved by the panels made a slight change to the name of the new regulatory agency, which would be called the Hawaii Hemp and Cannabis Authority to indicate its oversight of both marijuana and hemp.

Another amendment adopted by the committees eliminates the bill’s funding levels “to reflect the ongoing discussion going on at the legislature right now,” according to Democratic Sen. Jarrett Keohokalole, the sponsor of the measure in the Senate and the chair of the Commerce Committee.

The committees also approved an amendment that allows those with past felony marijuana convictions to apply for licenses and employment in the regulated cannabis industry, provided at least 10 years have passed since the end of their incarceration, probation or supervised release. Another change clarifies that the possession and sale of marijuana paraphernalia is also legal under Hawaii state law.

Democratic Sen. Herbert “Tim” Richards, a Commerce and Consumer Protection Committee member, voted to support the bill with reservations.

“I think we’re really close,” Richards said at the joint hearing. “I’m going to be supporting with reservations, just because I think we still got a little bit we need to do, but I think we’re close.”

The bill would legalize recreational marijuana in Hawaii and allow adults to grow up to six weed … [+] plants at home.

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Republican Sen. Kurt Fevella said he does not support the bill “because we have no parameters, really, on how this is gonna be.”

“You guys all know I support hemp,” he added, “but with this cannabis pleasuring thing, I cannot support the bills.”

Democratic Sen. Sharon Moriwaki, a member of the Ways and Means committee, voiced concerns that the state’s medical marijuana program lacks proper procedures, according to a report from Big Island Now.

“Having this move to a pleasure cannabis gives me concern,” Moriwaki said.

Panels Hear From Groups On Both Sides Of Weed Legalization

The committees heard from groups that support cannabis legislation, although they called for changes to the bill. The ACLU of Hawaii issued a statement noting its support for legalizing recreational marijuana but said that “this draft falls short of the robust social equity and reparative justice reforms required to address the harms and collateral consequences of cannabis arrest and conviction records that last a lifetime.”

“Notably, these harms have disparately impacted Native Hawaiians,” the civil liberties advocacy group added. “Native Hawaiians do not use drugs at drastically different rates from people of other races or ethnicities, but Native Hawaiians go to prison for drug offenses more often than people of other races or ethnicities.”

Karen O’Keefe, director of state policies for the cannabis legalization advocacy group Marijuana Policy Project (MPP), said that the current draft of the bill “takes an overly punitive approach and fails to include a sufficient commitment to equity.”

“Alarmingly,” O’Keefe testified, “the bill could result in more people being ensnared in the criminal justice system for cannabis instead of less.”

The committees also heard from state agencies opposed to legalizing recreational cannabis in Hawaii. The state Department of Law Enforcement said in written testimony that it has “serious concerns” about the legislation, citing a controversial report from Colorado claiming that fatal traffic collisions that could be linked to marijuana “nearly doubled between 2013 to 2020.”

“If cannabis were to be legalized in an adult use system for Hawaii, then it is highly probable that the rate of fatal car crashes and roadway deaths in Hawaii would very likely increase, especially amongst young drivers in Hawaii,” the department wrote.

The state Department of Education expressed “strong concerns” with the legalization bill and “the potential impacts it could have,” noting that research has shown that cannabis use might impair brain development in young people. The department also cited a study that found legalizing marijuana led to an increase in youth cannabis use.

“Therefore, if Hawaii legalizes adult recreational cannabis use, it must also invest in prevention and education initiatives,” Superintendent Keith T. Hayashi said in written testimony.

The legislation gained the approval of two different Senate committees last month. The next step for the bill is a floor vote on the legislation by the full Senate. The legislation is subject to a March 7 deadline to cross over to the House of Representatives, suggesting the Senate floor vote is likely to occur this week.

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Hawaii

Healthier Hawaii: How to protect your hearing; head and neck warning signs you shouldn’t ignore

Published

2 hours ago

January 7, 2026

Press Room

Healthier Hawaii: How to protect your hearing; head and neck warning signs you shouldn’t ignore

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – You may have received new earbuds or headphones during the holidays. But there are a few things you keep in mind when it comes to protecting your hearing.

Dr. Ross Shockley, an otolaryngologist with Wilcox Medical Center and Kaua‘i Medical Clinic, offers the following tips for hearing, as well as head and neck health.

Head and neck cancers

Many people are not familiar with head or neck cancers. What causes it and when should someone see a doctor?

Traditionally, head and neck cancers were mostly associated with longtime smokers and drinkers. Now, more cases are tied to human papillomavirus (HPV), even in nonsmokers and drinkers. HPV is the same virus that can lead to cervical cancer in women. It is common and can have no symptoms.
If you have throat pain, pain when swallowing that doesn’t go away, or a mass in your neck that feels firm and isn’t moving, don’t wait. See your doctor.
Head and neck cancers can be treated, no matter the cause, if caught early.

How to prevent hearing loss

More young adults, in their early 20s, are experiencing hearing loss. Can hearing loss be reversed?

Hearing loss can’t be reversed. Once ringing in ears starts, that can be permanent.
Wear appropriate hearing protection when using power tools or firing weapons.
You can find ear protection that blocks out sound for about $15. Protection that covers the whole ear are better than earplugs.

How do you know if music or movies are too loud?

Don’t turn anything up to the maximum.
You want the volume to be at the lowest level where you can still hear and understand.
If there is background noise, don’t crank up the volume all the way to fight it. Use noise-cancelling headphones or go somewhere quieter.

Dangers of cleaning your ears

You may feel the urge to clean your ears. Shockley says do less, or even nothing at all.

Our ears clean themselves. As new skin grows, it takes wax with it out of your ear.
When you clean your ears, you’re interrupting that natural cleaning process.
You can also put yourself at risk for external ear infections – or make your ears itch more.

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Hawaii

Hawaii Grown: Few isle players in College Football Playoff final four | Honolulu Star-Advertiser

Published

14 hours ago

January 7, 2026

Press Room

Hawaii Grown: Few isle players in College Football Playoff final four | Honolulu Star-Advertiser

MEN’S BASKETBALL

>> Higgy Katoa (Punahou), La Verne: Had 13 points, seven assists and five rebounds in a 74-70 loss to East Texas Baptist, missing a 3-pointer with six seconds left. Cody Aquino (Moanalua) rejoined the starting lineup and scored 12 points to lead the team a night later in a 104-76 loss to Grinnell, his second time this season in double figures.

>> Landyn Jumawan (Leilehua), Northwestern State: Lost his starting job but responded with 13 points with three 3-pointers in a 74-68 win over New Orleans. We was fouled on another 3-point attempt with two minutes left and buried all three to run the margin to four points.

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

>> Paige Oh (‘Iolani), Puget Sound: Spent one game coming off the bench and led the Loggers with 10 points in a 42-36 win over Middlebury, returning to the starting lineup three nights later to extend the team’s winning streak to five.

>> Emi Wada (Hawaii Baptist), Pacific Lutheran: Grabbed an offensive rebound off a missed free throw with less than a second left in regulation and put it back with 0.2 seconds left to send the game into overtime, but the Lutes lost 72-62 to Lewis & Clark. She played a team-leading 45 minutes in the contest and scored seven points but didn’t get a shot off in overtime.

FOOTBALL

>> Gavin Hunter (Mililani), Arizona: Had a career-high eight tackles with one of them for a loss and broke up a pass in a 24-19 loss to Southern Methodist in the Holiday Bowl. Kaena Decambra (Saint Louis) started on the offensive line.

>> Iapani Laloulu (Farrington), Oregon: Kept the offensive line under control against a stiff defense in a 23-0 win over Texas Tech in the College Football Playoff quarterfinals, helping the offense generate 309 yards of offense while committing one turnover and allowing Dante Moore to get sacked only twice. Kawika Rogers (Kapaa) and Will Straton (Punahou) also contributed to the victory.

>> Blazen Lono-Wong (Kailua), Arizona State: Got onto the field but didn’t record a tackle in a 42-39 loss to Duke in the Sun Bowl. It was his first time since early October he has failed to make a stop, a span of seven games.

>> De’Zhaun Stribling (Kapolei), Mississippi: Caught seven passes for 122 yards in a 39-34 win over Georgia in the College Football Playoff quarterfinals, his first time this season over the century mark. It was the captain’s first time over 100 yards since November 2024 against Texas Tech when he was with Oklahoma State. His big catch was for 40 yards on third-and-5 with 32 seconds left to set up the game-winning field goal.

>> Aliki Vimahi (Kahuku), Utah: Collected three tackles and his first sack of the season in a 44-22 win over Nebraska in the Las Vegas Bowl and Brock Fonoimoana (Kahuku) added a tackle. Pupu Sepulona (Saint Louis) and Mana Carvalho (Kahuku) also contributed to the victory.

MEN’S WRESTLING

>> Xander Erolin (Hanalani), San Francisco State: Opened his year with a third-place finish at 157 pounds in Linfield’s Mat Cat Open, going 3-1 with winning scores of 16-0, 11-2 and 15-4. His lone loss was 4-2 to the eventual champion.

WOMEN’S WRESTLING

>> Michaela Sarmiento (Kalaheo), Southern Oregon: With most of the rest of the nation off to prepare for the national duals, she took third place at 103 pounds in Linfield’s Mat Cat Open. She began the tournament with a 16-4 victory and ending it with a 9-8 win over teammate Diamond Lopez.

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Hawaii

Hawaii Island asks for the public’s assistance finding elderly woman, Jacquelyn Glenn

Published

1 day ago

January 6, 2026

Press Room

Hawaii Island asks for the public’s assistance finding elderly woman, Jacquelyn Glenn

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – Hawaii Island police are renewing their request for the public’s assistance in locating 82-year-old Jacquelyn Glenn of Kailua-Kona, who was reported missing by her family.

Police said she is considered endangered due to her age.

Glenn was last seen on Friday, Dec. 5, around 6:37 a.m., on the 75-200 block of Nani Kailua Dr. in Kailua-Kona.

She was wearing a peach-colored shirt, blue denim jeans, and black tennis shoes. She reportedly mentioned going to Hilo with friends, but did not say when she planned to return.

She is described as 5′6″, 125 Ibs, with curly grey hair and brown eyes.

Police ask anyone with information on the whereabouts of Jacquelyn Glenn to call the Hawaii Police Department’s non-emergency line at (808) 935-3311.

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