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(Page 1) <br /> <br /> THE COUNTY OF HAWAII, THE STATE OF HAWAII <br /> <br /> AN ORDINANCE ADDING A NEW ARTICLE TO THE HAWAII COUNTY CODE (2005 EDITION, AS <br /> AMENDED) <br /> <br /> BE IT ORDAINED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE COUNTY OF HAWAII <br /> <br /> Section 1: TITLE <br /> <br /> This Article shall be known as the <br /> 'LOWEST LAW ENFORCEMENT PRIORITY OF CANNABIS ORDINANCE' <br /> <br /> Section 2: PURPOSE <br /> <br /> The purpose of this Article is to; <br /> <br /> (a) Provide law enforcement more time and resources to focus on serious crimes. <br /> <br /> (b) Allow our court systems to run more efficiently; <br /> <br /> (c) Create space in our prisons to hold serious criminals; <br /> <br /> (d) Save taxpayers money and provide more funding for necessities such as education and health care. <br /> <br /> (e) Reduce the fear of prosecution and the stigma of criminality from non-violent citizens who harmlessly <br /> cultivate and/or use Cannabis for personal, medicinal, religious, and recreational purposes. <br /> <br /> <br /> Section 3: FINDINGS <br /> <br /> (a) The Institute of Medicine has found that Cannabis (marijuana) has medicinal value and is <br /> not a gateway drug. <br /> <br /> (b) According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, the use of Cannabis (marijuana) directly results in <br /> 0 (zero) deaths per year. <br /> <br /> (c) According to the National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA), the marijuana eradication program has not <br /> stopped Cannabis cultivation in the County of Hawaii, rather the program has only decreased the <br /> availability of the plant, which increases it's `street'value, resulting in more crime. <br /> <br /> (d) The National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA) also reported that a large increase of the use of <br /> meth amphetamine, crack cocaine, and other hard drugs was related to the marijuana eradication <br /> program's implementation. <br /> <br /> (e) According to public record, the mandatory program review'for the marijuana eradication program, <br /> required by Section 3-16 of the County Charter to be performed at least once every 4 years, has never <br /> been performed in the 30 years that the program has existed. <br /> <br /> (f) Law abiding adults are being arrested and imprisoned for nonviolent Cannabis offenses, <br /> clogging our court dockets, overcrowding our prisons, tying up valuable law enforcement resources <br /> 1 <br />