40 thoughts on “Could Hawaii Travel Be Diversified And Boosted By Legal Cannabis?”
Rich
I am not 100% sure about this being a good idea. You quote Amsterdam, yet Amsterdam has introduced laws banning foreign visitors from some coffee shops to foreign visitors due to problems caused. We also have more and more cases of poor behavior on planes to and from Hawaii ne. For all its good benefits Cannabis can provoke paranoia and delusions.
At the end of the day, legalizing Cannabis use brings all the same issues we face with Alcohol. I think my biggest worry is it would be seen by some as opening the door to encouraging the legalization of all drug use. Hawaii already has a lot of drug related problems particularly on Oahu, notably amongst the young with petty crime. This issue has two sides, good and bad.
“tax money from marijuana sales [to] be invested in ‘our mental healthcare system’”
Great, that will make a dent on the expenses from the news psychosis cases and emergency room visits.
Hawaii…the Beautiful Garden State is turning into a West Coast cesspool. Once you legalize marijuana, everything else will fall like a deck of cards. You think you have homeless issues now, you haven’t seen anything yet. Wait til you legalize marijuana. It’s a slippery slope to crack, and now fentanyl killing our youth. Apparently, Hawaii doesn’t care about its youth or their future. Sadly, for every dollar in revenue you take in from the sale of marijuana, you will spend $4 to $5 taking care of the social ills related to marijuana. Just doesn’t make sense. Data is from the latest State of Colorado Study on the effects of legalizing marijuana. But heh, it’s your body; your choice. Right? Call me stupid.
Hawaii is so beautiful and doesn’t need to endorse getting high just to make a buck. Seen enough drug use heart breaking homeless in Ewa Beach😔Get high off the beauty! This makes no sense as no matter how much tax money this state gets doesn’t bless the children and schools like it should! These schools should and could set the pace for the nation if managed right and from the right sources! Focus on what’s best and not the quick buck. Greedy has its consequences.
Illegal cannabis use in Hawaii has been around for decades and based on experiences from the states that had legalized it, it hasn’t contributed to any of the adverse effects you fear. Drug use among homeless and others that is a true danger to community safety is not weed, but meth and heroin. Those are the drugs the drive the crime rates up and are the true danger to community health and safety. Even legal alcohol is responsible for more adverse health issues, crime and accidents than weed. It is time to stop vilifying the plant. Even federal government has finally realized that.
Alcohol which is easily available from walmart to your local mom and pops store has far more dangerous consequences than marijuana. Alcohol has killed far more people be it low judgement due to intoxication causing accidents or physiologically causing liver disease and a plethora of other major diseases that caused more in health insurance.
Enough is enough with pot. It makes people stupid, slow and lazy. You have problems with staffing in restaurants, hotels and small businesses. Now just what you need, a stoned receptionist!. There goes the sweet smell of native flowers, now it pot. Just what we need.
I say legalize cannabis and ban alcohol. The latter is one of the most dangerous drugs available legally. The former, other, than it’s ungodly stench, is mostly innocuous.
Hi Rob+Jeff. I am not in favor of legalized marijuana use. We have enough impaired motorists on the roads without adding “high” people to the equation. It’s sad that people feel the “need” to get high. What has happened to “sober living”. Is it so hard to experience the Islands in a natural state of mind? No wonder this world is in the state it is in. Everyone has to “escape mentally” to “enjoy life”. How Sad!!! The world is getting weaker instead of getting stronger and healthier. What do you both think? Mahalo for your great reports.
We live in Washington State, where recreational cannabis is legal, and have a place on Maui. I truly see no adverse effects from legalization. It appears to me cannabis is quite easy to get on Maui, walk around, you smell it everywhere. A Medical Marijuana license avaialanle to those in pain. My friend happened to be in a medical shop and a visitor from another state walked in, thinking cannabis is legal, you know like at home.
Anyway, Hawaii needs jobs, Hawaii needs money. Legalize cannabis.
Please don’t bash me, if you don’t like my opinion, please scroll past.
Look at the issue in Washington state. You don’t think all the crime and the people who did it weren’t stoned? Just what Hawaii needs. More stoned people.
I respectfully suggest that you have your facts mixed up. I live in WA and also on Maui. I am a medical professional and I work in ERs in both states. The crime you speak of is overwhelmingly related to methamphetamine and opiate use, and predates cannabis legalization in WA by years. The vast majority of injuries from vehicular crashes and interpersonal violence are associated with alcohol and methamphetamine use. Someone stoned on weed mat not be much fun to have a conversation with, but they’re generally relaxed, pleasant and innocuous. Weed is not the villain.
Living in a cannabis legal state, I would urge all Hawaiian voters to think this through carefully. Legalization brings more problems than benefits and the projected tax revenues are overstated as taxed cannabis is more expensive than gray market weed. The sales projections through legal channels are being overstated as they ignore the sales through non taxable transactions.
You are spot on Matt! I also live in a cannabis legal state and see the effects firsthand. Just because alcohol is legal and has bad, deadly effects doesn’t justify promoting and encouraging marijuana and it’s negatives. As he said, be careful what you wish for
Great. Instead of being offered pakalolo as I wander past the Royal Hawaiian Center, I’ll get hit with the offers as soon as I step off the plane at HNL.
I am not 100% sure about this being a good idea. You quote Amsterdam, yet Amsterdam has introduced laws banning foreign visitors from some coffee shops to foreign visitors due to problems caused. We also have more and more cases of poor behavior on planes to and from Hawaii ne. For all its good benefits Cannabis can provoke paranoia and delusions.
At the end of the day, legalizing Cannabis use brings all the same issues we face with Alcohol. I think my biggest worry is it would be seen by some as opening the door to encouraging the legalization of all drug use. Hawaii already has a lot of drug related problems particularly on Oahu, notably amongst the young with petty crime. This issue has two sides, good and bad.
A lot of the meth problems began once Green Harvest started cracking down on pakalolo farmers.
“tax money from marijuana sales [to] be invested in ‘our mental healthcare system’”
Great, that will make a dent on the expenses from the news psychosis cases and emergency room visits.
Hawaii…the Beautiful Garden State is turning into a West Coast cesspool. Once you legalize marijuana, everything else will fall like a deck of cards. You think you have homeless issues now, you haven’t seen anything yet. Wait til you legalize marijuana. It’s a slippery slope to crack, and now fentanyl killing our youth. Apparently, Hawaii doesn’t care about its youth or their future. Sadly, for every dollar in revenue you take in from the sale of marijuana, you will spend $4 to $5 taking care of the social ills related to marijuana. Just doesn’t make sense. Data is from the latest State of Colorado Study on the effects of legalizing marijuana. But heh, it’s your body; your choice. Right? Call me stupid.
Hawaii is so beautiful and doesn’t need to endorse getting high just to make a buck. Seen enough drug use heart breaking homeless in Ewa Beach😔Get high off the beauty! This makes no sense as no matter how much tax money this state gets doesn’t bless the children and schools like it should! These schools should and could set the pace for the nation if managed right and from the right sources! Focus on what’s best and not the quick buck. Greedy has its consequences.
Illegal cannabis use in Hawaii has been around for decades and based on experiences from the states that had legalized it, it hasn’t contributed to any of the adverse effects you fear. Drug use among homeless and others that is a true danger to community safety is not weed, but meth and heroin. Those are the drugs the drive the crime rates up and are the true danger to community health and safety. Even legal alcohol is responsible for more adverse health issues, crime and accidents than weed. It is time to stop vilifying the plant. Even federal government has finally realized that.
Well said!
Alcohol which is easily available from walmart to your local mom and pops store has far more dangerous consequences than marijuana. Alcohol has killed far more people be it low judgement due to intoxication causing accidents or physiologically causing liver disease and a plethora of other major diseases that caused more in health insurance.
You surely hit the nail on the head! Plus, if Hawaii doesn’t mind competing with Mexico, they will be just fine.
Enough is enough with pot. It makes people stupid, slow and lazy. You have problems with staffing in restaurants, hotels and small businesses. Now just what you need, a stoned receptionist!. There goes the sweet smell of native flowers, now it pot. Just what we need.
I say legalize cannabis and ban alcohol. The latter is one of the most dangerous drugs available legally. The former, other, than it’s ungodly stench, is mostly innocuous.
Hi Rob+Jeff. I am not in favor of legalized marijuana use. We have enough impaired motorists on the roads without adding “high” people to the equation. It’s sad that people feel the “need” to get high. What has happened to “sober living”. Is it so hard to experience the Islands in a natural state of mind? No wonder this world is in the state it is in. Everyone has to “escape mentally” to “enjoy life”. How Sad!!! The world is getting weaker instead of getting stronger and healthier. What do you both think? Mahalo for your great reports.
Wow!! Seems that those in power will sell there souls for the almighty $$$
Aloha Rob and Jeff,
Thank you for another fascinating article.
We live in Washington State, where recreational cannabis is legal, and have a place on Maui. I truly see no adverse effects from legalization. It appears to me cannabis is quite easy to get on Maui, walk around, you smell it everywhere. A Medical Marijuana license avaialanle to those in pain. My friend happened to be in a medical shop and a visitor from another state walked in, thinking cannabis is legal, you know like at home.
Anyway, Hawaii needs jobs, Hawaii needs money. Legalize cannabis.
Please don’t bash me, if you don’t like my opinion, please scroll past.
Thank you again.
Lani
Hi Lani.
Thanks for checking in on this and so many other subjects. We appreciate it.
Aloha.
Look at the issue in Washington state. You don’t think all the crime and the people who did it weren’t stoned? Just what Hawaii needs. More stoned people.
I respectfully suggest that you have your facts mixed up. I live in WA and also on Maui. I am a medical professional and I work in ERs in both states. The crime you speak of is overwhelmingly related to methamphetamine and opiate use, and predates cannabis legalization in WA by years. The vast majority of injuries from vehicular crashes and interpersonal violence are associated with alcohol and methamphetamine use. Someone stoned on weed mat not be much fun to have a conversation with, but they’re generally relaxed, pleasant and innocuous. Weed is not the villain.
Living in a cannabis legal state, I would urge all Hawaiian voters to think this through carefully. Legalization brings more problems than benefits and the projected tax revenues are overstated as taxed cannabis is more expensive than gray market weed. The sales projections through legal channels are being overstated as they ignore the sales through non taxable transactions.
Be careful what you wish for.
You are spot on Matt! I also live in a cannabis legal state and see the effects firsthand. Just because alcohol is legal and has bad, deadly effects doesn’t justify promoting and encouraging marijuana and it’s negatives. As he said, be careful what you wish for
Great. Instead of being offered pakalolo as I wander past the Royal Hawaiian Center, I’ll get hit with the offers as soon as I step off the plane at HNL.
At least stoners should be peaceful tourists.