Efforts to legalize recreational marijuana and establish a retail program in Hawaii have been thwarted again by the Legislature’s more conservative House of Representatives.
House Bill 1246, which would have established a regulatory agency to oversee adult-use and medical marijuana as well as hemp, failed to advance to a full floor vote, according to the Honolulu Civic Beat.
In 2024, after Hawaii’s Senate overwhelmingly approved a bill to establish a recreational market, new regulatory agency and social equity program, the legislation failed to get through the House, where similar efforts have died in the past.
“It’s a disappointment, but we will eventually get there,” Karen O’Keefe, director of state policies for Marijuana Policy Project, told MJBizDaily.
“We’ve had lots of setbacks in other states’ legislatures (including a 2022 veto in Delaware) before passing bills into law.”
O’Keefe was in Hawaii trying to rally support for adult-use legalization and broader medical access.
A Senate companion bill is technically alive, with a looming deadline next week to get out of committee, O’Keefe added.
Other cannabis-related bills have been introduced in the Hawaii Legislature, including expanding medical marijuana access and decriminalization.
Chris Casacchia can be reached at chris.casacchia@mjbizdaily.com.
