Chad Blair: You’d Be Surprised Which Candidates Favor Legalizing Pot

Lt. Gov. Doug Chin speaking at a recent rally. The former attorney general running for Congress backs efforts to legalize recreational marijuana use.

Cory Lum/Civil Beat

Who wants to make recreational pot legal in Hawaii?

U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, Lt. Gov. Doug Chin, state Sen. Roz Baker, state Rep. Cynthia Thielen and Office of Hawaiian Affairs Trustee Lei Ahu Isa — among others.

According to a new survey, 98 candidates on the Aug. 11 primary ballot support the legalization of cannabis for adult use. The online survey was conducted by Drug Policy Forum of Hawaii, a nonprofit voice for “sensible, compassionate and effective” drug policies.

Thirty candidates said they are opposed while three “opted out” of answering the question.

The forum’s board president, Nikos Leverenz, said that the response “exceeded our expectations.”

Mine too.

While I knew about Gabbard’s work on bipartisan legislation to federally decriminalize marijuana (the Ending Federal Marijuana Prohibition Act would take pot off the federal controlled substances list, listing it instead with alcohol and tobacco), pakalolo bills introduced at the Hawaii Legislature die quicker than an Indica plant without water.

But the 98 legalization supporters include every candidate for the 2nd Congressional District seat, including Gabbard and her Democratic opponent, Sherry Campagna.

They also include three of the six main Democrats running for the 1st Congressional District: Chin, state Sen. Donna Mercado Kim and state Rep. Kaniela Ing.

“As chair of the Conference of Western Attorneys General, I brought Republicans and Democrats from 20 Western states together to find common sense solutions to support legal cannabis businesses,” said Chin, the former Hawaii attorney general, in a Monday email to Civil Beat. “I support a responsible path to legalizing cannabis for recreational purposes on the federal level and here in Hawaii.”

In spite of the failure to move a “decrim” or “legalize it” bill in Hawaii, a number of legislative incumbents answered the following query in the affirmative:

State Rep. Jarrett Keohokalole, a Democrat, wants legalization, but for reasons other than personal freedom.

“For me, the substance abuse issue is much broader than specifically legalizing cannabis,” he said Monday. “I believe this is a huge issue that touches the criminal justice system, the health care system, the homeless issue. We as a society don’t talk about drug issues very well. We don’t support the treatment customs that have worked across the country.”

Keohokalole added, “My understanding is that the best way to proceed on the drug issue is to destigmatize treatment and addiction, and to provide more access to better types of drug treatment. And a big part of that is de-emphasizing the stigma that we put around individuals who are addicted to substances.”

Keohokalole is running for the state Senate this year. His opponent, fellow state Rep. Ken Ito, opposes legalization, according to the survey.

Ito has some company — the three Republicans running for lieutenant governor, for example.

Democrat Kim Coco Iwamoto, however, was among those who said “yes” to legalization, while one of her primary opponents for lieutenant governor, Josh Green, “opted out” (whatever that means).

Opponents of legalizing at the Legislature have said that they are reluctant to do so while marijuana is still a Schedule I drug at the federal level along with heroin and LSD. They also worry that pot is a gateway drug to harder stuff. And some in law enforcement communities have testified against legalization.

No Word From Ige, Hanabusa

None of the leading Democrats and Republicans running for governor responded at all to the survey.

“That’s too bad,” said Leverenz. “There are reasons why some candidates don’t want to weigh in on things.”

This is the first time that the Drug Policy Forum of Hawaii, a steady lobbying presence at the Capitol, conducted a survey of this kind. Leverenz said it did so this year because it was easy to do and cheap, thanks to the online survey tool Survey Monkey.

The forum actually reached out to all of the campaigns, or at least the ones for which it could find contact information. There are over 300 candidates on the primary ballot.

The first inquiry was July 20, followed by a second five days later and a final effort Friday. A total of 133 candidates responded.

One of the reasons often cited for legalizing pot is that it’s a waste of government resources. It can also destroys lives. The Drug Policy Forum cites the most recent crime report issued by the state attorney general that disclosed that 7,863 Hawaii adults were arrested for cannabis possession over the past 10 years.

“Even in the absence of incarceration, misdemeanor convictions provide entry into the criminal justice system and can have dramatic long-term consequences for individuals and families,” the forum said in a press release Monday. “The Council of State Governments Justice Center provides a list of over 100 ‘collateral consequences’ of a misdemeanor conviction in Hawaii.”

What’s it going to take for Hawaii to join the four other Pacific Coast states that allow adult-use marijuana (whoops! I mean cannabis, the preferred term, I’m told) along with Nevada, Colorado and a few other states?

“It will take executive leadership that recognizes that cannabis prohibition is no longer — and never was — the right thing to do,” said Leverenz. “It will also take leadership that isn’t wedded to the social and legal biases of the past and instead looks to a future that is more sensible, just, prosperous and humane.”

He continued: “The future has already spoken. In local and national polls this year, an overwhelming majority of Millennials and Gen X’er’s support adult-use legalization.”

Drug Policy Forum of Hawaii 2018 Cannabis Candidate Survey:

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