Pubdate: Sun, 03 May 2015
Source: Honolulu Star-Advertiser (HI)
Copyright: 2015 Star Advertiser
Contact: 
http://www.staradvertiser.com/info/Star-Advertiser_Letter_to_the_Editor.html
Website: http://www.staradvertiser.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/5154
Author: Kevin Dayton

LEGISLATORS' UNUSUAL STEPS KEEP POT MEASURE ALIVE

The story of marijuana as medicine at the state Capitol this year was 
a story of careful preparation, dogged grass-roots politics and 
compassion for those who suffer from chronic illnesses. And don't 
forget the impact of money.

Bills to establish marijuana dispensaries in Hawaii have stalled in 
the state Legislature for years, but dispensaries suddenly emerged 
this year as one of the most talked-about issues for lawmakers. It 
was an issue so important they refused to allow it to die.

When negotiations broke down Friday night over details of the 
marijuana dispensary bill, the Senate's Democratic caucus quickly 
gathered to sign a petition expressing their desire to see a bill 
pass this year. Senate Health Committee Chairman Josh Green, who was 
blamed by many for the failure of the dispensary bill, was then 
stripped of control of the measure.

Yanking control of the bill away from Green was an extraordinary 
deviation from normal procedure at the Legislature, where committee 
chairs routinely wield the power to decide which bills live and which die.

The House and Senate then immediately bent yet another rule by 
reviving House Bill 321, and scheduling a conference committee 
hearing for noon on Monday to advance the dispensary bill. That 
contradicted stern warnings earlier Friday by House Speaker Joe Souki 
and Senate President Donna Mercado Kim that there would be "no 
exceptions" to a Friday night deadline for positioning all bills for 
final passage.

That flurry of unusual activity comes nearly 15 years after lawmakers 
first approved the prescription and use of medical marijuana. Since 
then, they repeatedly refused to establish marijuana dispensaries for 
patients, which meant those patients had no legal way of purchasing cannabis.

That state of affairs was acceptable for many years, but suddenly 
this year, it wasn't. Now, lawmakers seem determined to act.

Senate Public Safety Committee Chairman Will Espero, who stepped in 
as lead negotiator for the Senate after Green was removed, said his 
colleagues seem willing to move forward with the most recent House 
proposal for the dispensaries bill with mostly technical changes, 
possibly including adjustments in the timing of when the law would take effect.

"I don't see anything significantly different," he said. "I'm hopeful 
that Monday we'll be able to pass something."

Espero said lawmakers are pushing hard to move a bill because they 
had been working for years on the dispensaries issue, which affects 
more than 13,000 registered medical marijuana patients. Senators have 
been approached by constituents who had relatives or friends who use 
medical marijuana, and the rooms at the state Capitol were packed for 
each hearing on the issue, he said.

Rafael Kennedy, executive director of the Drug Policy Forum of 
Hawaii, said he doesn't know the details of what happened Friday in 
the Senate or why, but he was pleased with the result.

"I think that we're all really glad to see that the Legislature is 
taking patient needs seriously, and is willing to take unusual steps 
to make sure that something happens," he said.

Kat Brady, coordinator of the Community Alliance on Prisons and a 
strong advocate of dispensaries, said some key lawmakers had flatly 
committed to passing a dispensary bill this year, and they are 
honoring their promise. Efforts to pass a bill were also bolstered 
this year by the painstaking work of the Legislature's Medical 
Marijuana Dispensary Task Force, which issued its final report in January.

That report concluded that a dispensary system is "long overdue," and 
that establishing a network of dispensaries could vastly improve the 
lives of medical marijuana patients. The task force representatives 
came from agencies ranging from the Attorney General's Office to the 
state Department of Health, and offered 38 recommendations detailing 
how the dispensary system should be established and operated.

Task force members included key leaders at the Legislature, including 
Senate Commerce and Consumer Protection Committee Chairwoman Rosalyn 
Baker, House Public Safety Committee Chairman Gregg Takayama and 
House Health Committee Chairwoman Della Au Belatti, who has been a 
determined supporter of dispensaries. The task force also included Green.

Another factor that likely figured into lawmakers' considerations 
this year are changing public attitudes now that many states have 
established their own dispensary systems for medical marijuana, Kennedy said.

"This issue is becoming more and more mainstream," with Drug Policy 
Action Group data from 2014 showing that 85 percent of Hawaii 
residents support establishing local dispensaries, he said.

Also helping with the marijuana dispensaries bill this year is an 
impressive selection of Hawaii's top lobbyists. One of the bestknown 
is Bob Toyofuku of Government Affairs Consulting, who has worked with 
the Drug Policy Action Group. Kennedy said that group is affiliated 
with the Drug Police Forum of Hawaii.

Funding for Toyofuku's efforts was provided in part from grants from 
the late billionaire Peter B. Lewis, a nationally known advocate of 
marijuana legalization, Kennedy said. According to Forbes, Lewis 
spent nearly $3 million in 2012 promoting marijuana legalization 
measures in Washington and Massachusetts.

Another high-powered advocate for the bill is John Radcliffe of 
Capitol Consultants of Hawaii, who represents a company called 
Pacific Eclipse. Founded in Southern California in 2006, Pacific 
Eclipse bills itself as an "an industry leader in producing 
high-quality and safe medical marijuana products."

Radcliffe was on hand to watch the tense moments Friday evening as 
the dispensary bill appeared to be dying. Also on hand for the 
excitement was Bruce Coppa, executive vice president of Capitol 
Consultants, who served as chief of staff to former Gov. Neil Abercrombie.

Espero said it is isn't surprising that lobbyists would be involved.

"We have had a lot of interest from many people because it could 
provide some economic opportunities for people," he said. "We want 
those economic opportunities to be available to local Hawaii 
residents, for sure. That's a big thing we are trying to make certain occurs."
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom