Hawaii’s Bill 150 Following Colorado’s Amendment 64

Colorado has been in the spotlight in recent months since Amendment 64 was passed last November and it seems that Colorado’s passage of this has prompted Hawaii to follow suit.

Last week, the Hawaiian Speaker of the House Joseph Souku introduced a bill to legalize marijuana for people over the age of 21 via tax-regulated sales of the drug. The Bill, known as House Bill 150 would be similar to Colorado’s Amendment 64 allowing adults to possess up to an ounce of marijuana. However, where the Colorado bill limits the number of plants one can grow, the Hawaiian bill proposed no specified limit.

House Bill 150 comes as no surprise to many – as Hawaii has always been keen on marijuana legalization and has allowed it for medical use since 2000. Even in November 2008, Hawaiians passed a ballot that made the enforcement of marijuana laws the lowest level priority for Hawaiian police and prosecutors who, like Obama, touted that they had “bigger fish to fry.”

So far the House Bill has been favored, having passed the first reading it is now on its way to committee. Similar to the proponents of Colorado’s Amendment 64, Hawaiians like Mason Tvert of the Marijuana Policy Project are pushing for the passage of this bill because of the proposed marijuana taxes that will generate nice revenue for the state.

Often following proposed marijuana policies are those that voice concern over marijuana abuse and dependence. This has been making headlines in Colorado since November, with University of Colorado in Boulder students dosing their professors with pot brownies to teens being exposed to marijuana at school.

As with any drug, greater access means greater risk of dependence and provisions like Amendment 64 and House Bill 150 prompt addiction treatment centers like Harmony Foundation in Colorado to publicize and let communities know about their programs and services for those with marijuana dependence.

Harmony Foundation is an affordable addiction treatment center in Colorado that can help men and women recover from addictive disorders such as marijuana dependence.