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now legalized or not, it's hard for the police to get involved with it because you still need
<br />probable cause if you think it's illegal, but how do you show it's illegal? So, that's why
<br />say the Washington model is pretty good, you know they can just shoot the thing and
<br />tell whether it's legal marijuana or not. So, if Hawaii was going to do such a thing,
<br />would think that's the way to do it.
<br />Taniguchi: But that wouldn't get rid of the black-market kind?
<br />Takase: Well, it kind of does.
<br />Taniguchi: Maybe it was before Brandon's one, but we went to another NCSL
<br />(National Conference of State Legislators), we thought it would wipe out the black
<br />market, but it flourished. And then, a lot of stuff like the impaired driving, there's no test
<br />for that, and all that kind of stuff. And so, they said come see us, so I talked to couple of
<br />our legislators, and they said no worry we going put it on the Department of Health. So,
<br />said good luck, you know but it is a big problem until they solve all those other things
<br />because plenty things, and they said have your people come over, you know we'd be
<br />happy to share, but our guys no like go over.
<br />Takase: So, the Colorado and Nebraska border, I guess they said all the Nebraska
<br />troopers just park at the border, and if they have a suspicious looking car, they'll find
<br />some reason to stop you and search you, and they catch a lot of them. So, I know
<br />Nebraska is complaining about Colorado guys coming in, but it's a big problem.
<br />Gonzalez: So, Mr. Okabe, sorry so I may have not been clear too in the beginning, but that
<br />was part of the issue with the session, like it just raised a lot of questions and stirred a lot of
<br />thought, because the focus for this part though was the THC (tetrahydrocannabinol.) So, the
<br />THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) is not the plant, it's an extract, it's odorless and colorless, so
<br />they just add it to the drinks, so you can't even tell if it's being added, and there's still not
<br />enough studies or science to determine, you know like for alcohol, there's been studies on
<br />how it's processed by the body, it affects different people in different ways. But there's a
<br />certain amount of BAC (blood alcohol content) where it's been defined legally as someone is
<br />intoxicated, and that's what they're still trying to get information on is what are the levels that
<br />cause certain impairments with the THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) extract that might be used.
<br />So, that was some of the questions that was raised, that's kind of what I meant with that,
<br />they're being used in cocktails as well, I was focusing on the extract.
<br />Takase: Yes, so we don't have any locally but we're starting to see production on the
<br />mainland, putting THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) in the cocktails and sell it that way, especially
<br />with these ready -to -drink things. I don't see any on the market here locally but I'm sure it's
<br />coming.
<br />Gonzalez: We were asked, I want to say maybe four years ago, one place asked if
<br />they could add it, we referred them to the Department of Health because of that.
<br />MINUTES - LIQUOR COMMISSION MEETING & PUBLIC HEARING - THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2024 - HILO PAGE 20 OF 30
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