I know it’s been quite some time since I posted here, but while I wait for the House to gavel into session on this Valentine’s Day, I wanted to use the time to share my testimony.

Thursday, February 13, 2025
Senate Committees on Health & Human Services and Judiciary

Senate Bill 1613 Relating to Cannabis
Testifying In Strong Support

Aloha Chairs San Buenaventura and Rhoads, Vice Chairs Aquino and Gabbard Members of the Committees:

I stand in strong support of SB1613. And I appreciate the support this issue has received in prior sessions by the Chairs of these committees and by the Senate as a whole. Mahalo!

Frankly, I’m baffled by the opposition to adult-use legalization of cannabis. I’ve heard all the concerns and I’ve heard all the objections.

“It’ll harm our kids!” Or, “It’s a gateway drug!” Or “it’ll harm tourism.” Or, and this might be my favorite; “it’s basically already legal.” My eyes roll.

Since cannabis has been legal in 23 states, data tells us that teen use of cannabis is actually declining. In the meantime, SAMHSA reported¹ in 2022 that 15% (20,000) of youth between the ages of 12 and 20 consumed alcohol. More than half of those who are drinking are also binge drinking.

People are concerned about edibles and children getting their hands on them. All the while, supermarkets are full of fun-flavored alcoholic beverages, “hard seltzers,” and the like.

A story published just last week by Hawaii News Now² “showed that at least 40% of traffic fatalities in Hawaii involved drivers under the influence.” But where’s the outrage from lawmakers? Where are the calls for the prohibition of alcohol?

I’m not aware of any policy conversation taking place at any level about banning alcohol use for adults in Hawaii. Is it because “it’s already here, so we just have to accept it”? Or is it because our country has already tried its hand at alcohol prohibition and see the result?

According to the Hawaii Department of Health³, between 2018 and 2024, there were nearly 54,000 alcohol-related emergency department visits. During the same period, cannabis-related visits were approximately 10% the amount for alcohol. Again, where’s the outrage? Where’s the call for alcohol prohibition?

From the same DOH website, nicotine-related emergency department visits were just over 42,000.

Nationally, according to the National Center for Drug Abuse Statistics⁴, there are approximately 141,000 alcohol-related deaths in the U.S. every year. The number of cannabis-related deaths? ZERO.

On average, tobacco kills more than 490,000 people in the U.S. every year, according to the American Lung Association.⁵ The Hawaii Department of Health reports 1,400 tobacco-related deaths every year and contributes to 21,000 premature deaths in children and youth.⁶ Where’s the outrage? Where are the calls for tobacco prohibition?

The same American Lung Association also reports that Hawaii generates $112 million in tobacco-related revenue every year.

I’ve seen testimony that insists we should fund educational programs about the potential harms and risks of cannabis use BEFORE we legalize it. But where will that funding come from? Every department in our state is underfunded and suffering from position vacancies. Wouldn’t it make sense to fund those programs with revenue generated from fees and taxes from cannabis sales?

Cannabis is proven to be safer, less addictive, and has a long and growing list of potential health benefits (if used responsibly), but fear-mongering from law enforcement and hypocritical prohibitionists prevents legal use by responsible adults.

Until opponents of cannabis legalization start calling for the prohibition of tobacco and alcohol, I find their concerns… hollow. I hope the responsible adult members of these committees will do the sensible, responsible thing and support the legalization, regulation, and taxation of cannabis. Please pass SB1613.

Mahalo for the opportunity to testify.

1. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) https://www.stopalcoholabuse.gov/media/ReportToCongress/2022/statereports/hawaiiprofile.pdf ↩
2. Report: Hawaii alcohol-related traffic fatality rate outpaces national average: https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/2025/02/04/report-hawaii-alcohol-related-traffic-fatality-rate-outpaces-national-average/ ↩
3. State of Hawaii Department of Health Behavioral Health Dashboard: https://bh808.hawaii.gov/substance-use/ ↩
4. https://drugabusestatistics.org/alcohol-abuse-statistics/#:~:text=Alcohol%2520Abuse%2520Statistics%2520%5B2023%5D:,consumption%2520during%2520COVID-19%2520lockdowns ↩
5. https://www.lung.org/research/sotc/facts#::text=Smoking%20is%20the%20number%20one,in%20the%20U.S.%20each%20year. ↩
6. https://health.hawaii.gov/tobacco/#::text=Kills%201,400%20adults%20and%20contributes,Medicaid%20costs%20related%20to%20smoking ↩