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Senate committees advance SB16-13 after lengthy, sharply divided testimony on adult-use cannabis
Summary
After several hours of public testimony both for and against, the joint HHS–Judiciary committees voted to advance SB16-13 with technical amendments. Supporters said legalization would regulate an existing underground market and protect consumers; opponents warned of youth access, traffic and public-health harms.
The joint committees on Health & Human Services and Judiciary voted to pass SB16-13, an adult‑use cannabis bill, with technical amendments after marathon public testimony that split public-health advocates, law enforcement, industry groups and members of the public.
Proponents argued that recreational cannabis is already widely available in Hawaii and that regulation would protect consumers, clamp down on unlicensed retailers and reduce criminalization. Jacqueline Moore of Big Island Grown told the committee that "recreational is already…
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