Laserfiche WebLink
COUNTY OF HAWAII <br />RESOLUTION NO. <br />STATE OF HAWAII <br />81 13 <br />A RESOLUTION URGING THE 2013 HAWAII STATE LEGISLATURE TO PASS <br />LEGISLATION TO DECRIMINALIZE MARIJUANA, SUCH AS SENATE BILL <br />NO. 472, SDI. <br />WHEREAS, the states of Alaska, California, Colorado, Maine, Massachusetts, <br />Minnesota, Mississippi, Nebraska, Nevada, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, and <br />Washington have decriminalized marijuana in small amounts; and <br />WHEREAS, most states that have decriminalized marijuana provide for civil fines, <br />confiscation, drug education, or drug treatment in place of incarceration or criminal charges for <br />possession of small amounts of marijuana or have made various marijuana offenses the lowest <br />priority for law enforcement; and <br />WHEREAS, according to a CNN report on October 18, 2010, former United States <br />Surgeon General Jocelyn Elders stated that she supports legalizing marijuana; and <br />WHEREAS, in 2012 voters in Colorado approved Amendment 64 making Colorado the <br />first state to legalize and regulate the production, possession, and distribution of marijuana for <br />persons aged 21 and older; and <br />WHEREAS, according to an analysis from the Colorado Center on Law & Policy, <br />Amendment 64 would produce $60 million in new revenue and savings for Colorado; and <br />WHEREAS, in 2012 voters in Washington approved Initiative Measure No. 502 to <br />legalize and regulate the production, possession, and distribution of marijuana for persons aged <br />21 and older; and <br />WHEREAS, Chapter 329, Part IX, Hawaii Revised Statutes, was enacted pursuant to <br />Act 228, Session Laws of Hawaii 2000, to exempt the medical use of marijuana from criminal <br />sanctions; and <br />WHEREAS, in November 2008 Hawaii County voters approved Ordinance No. 08-181, <br />known as the "Lowest Law Enforcement Priority of Cannabis Ordinance"; and <br />WHEREAS, Section 14-99(a) of the Hawaii County Code states "The cultivation, <br />possession and use for adult personal use of cannabis shall be the Lowest Law Enforcement <br />Priority for law enforcement agencies in the county."; and <br />