LIHU‘E — As the state Legislature introduces a bill to further legalize marijuana, tobacco smoking may get pushed out of public housing projects but allowed back in bars. House Bill 150, introduced by House Speaker Joe Souki, proposes to relax
LIHU‘E — As the state Legislature introduces a bill to further legalize marijuana, tobacco smoking may get pushed out of public housing projects but allowed back in bars.
House Bill 150, introduced by House Speaker Joe Souki, proposes to relax marijuana laws by authorizing persons who are at least 21 years old to use or possess marijuana in limited amounts, as long as it is for personal use.
And if there is smoke, there must be a way of getting a hold of it, so the bill provides for the “licensing of marijuana cultivation facilities, product manufacturing facilities, safety testing facilities and retail stores.”
The bill requires county governments to provide for licensing of marijuana facilities if the state fails to do so, and also authorizes counties to regulate or prohibit marijuana facilities within their boundaries.
And of course, that involves taxing it, too. HB 150 would go into effect upon approval. It passed first reading Friday.
On the other side of the scale, Senate Bill 330, introduced by Sen. Clayton Hee, D-23rd District, proposes to implement an incremental smoke-free policy to ultimately achieve 100 percent smoke-free public housing projects and state low-income housing projects.
Medical marijuana, however, would still be allowed at these facilities. The bill’s current version calls for the law to be implemented by July 1, 2015. SB 330 passed first reading Friday.
Far from home and into bars and nightclubs, smoking could be making a comeback.
SB 324 proposes to permit smoking back in bars and nightclubs, as long as they have a liquor license and post “smoking permitted” signs. The bill blocks counties to pass an ordinance that would prohibit or restrict smoking at bars and nightclubs.
In the bill’s current version, the changes would go into effect as early as July 1, 2014.
SB 324 passed first reading Friday. It was co-introduced by Sens. Brickwood Galuteria, D-12th District, and Mike Gabbard, D-20th District.
• Léo Azambuja, staff writer, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 252) or lazambuja@ thegardenisland.com.
