Hawaii Approves Study on Drug Decriminalization

Hawaii could become the first U.S. state to decriminalize all drugs, after a proposal to study that possibility recently cleared the state's House Committee on Judiciary, the Honolulu Civil Beat reports.

The proposal was approved by a 7-1 margin. Using Portugal as a possible model for decriminalization, the resolution said that the move could serve as a way of addressing the state’s overcrowded prison system by sentencing people to treatment instead of prison time. The Office of Hawaiian Affairs even submitted testimony in support of the resolution, declaring that the War on Drugs has played a major role in causing Hawaii’s prison population to reach an all-time high.

The resolution cites a 2013 study that found that drug use continues to rise in the U.S. “despite a longstanding policy that enforces illicit drug use and imposes some of the world’s harshest penalties for drug use and sales.” The resolution also refers to a 2013 SAMHSA report that revealed an increase in the number of Americans age 12 or older who are considered current illicit drug users (meaning they used an illicit drug in the past month)—from 8.3% in 2002 to 9.4% in 2013.

It also mentions that the bulk of people charged with drug-related crimes have been found to harbor underlying substance abuse issues, which justifies diverting drug offenders to treatment.

“The War on Drugs' most problematic effects are in its pursuit of dealers and traffickers,” said Tracy Ryan, chair of the Libertarian Party of Hawaii. “This is what has made the business lucrative and violent, caused addicts to steal to obtain drug money, and burdened the taxpayers and criminal justice system.”

A House floor vote is the next step for the resolution moving forward. If it’s approved, the findings from the decriminalization study will be due “no later than 20 days prior” to the legislature’s 2017 session.

Hawaii is already moving in a progressive direction by currently taking applications for the first medical marijuana dispensaries in the state. Hawaii will award eight licenses for marijuana business owners in April and the dispensaries can officially open in July. Each business can have two production centers and two retail dispensaries, which will allow for 16 dispensaries across the state. Six of them will be on the island of Oahu, in addition to four on Maui, four on Hawaii Island and two on Kauai.

Under the requirements, applicants must have $1 million in cash before formally applying for a license, in addition to $100,000 in cash for each dispensary location. They must have also been residents of Hawaii for at least five years. Actor Woody Harrelson submitted one of the 66 applications posted by the Hawaii Department of Health in February.