Hawaii’s attorney general is clarifying that despite unveiling a draft marijuana legalization bill in November and subsequently defending the proposal against criticism from law enforcement, her office does not, in fact, support legalizing cannabis for adult use. But the office also won’t actively work to oppose it the reform—as long as any legislation that is advancing contains several “key elements.”
On Friday, Attorney General Anne Lopez’s (D) office sent lawmakers a revised 315-page draft bill to legalize cannabis as well as 38-page report outlining related issues.
“The draft bill is not ‘the Department of the Attorney General’s cannabis bill,’” Lopez emphasized in a press release Friday. “The draft bill was prepared to give the Legislature a legislative option to consider—a draft with public safety and public health protections embedded into its structure. Should the Legislature decide to legalize adult-use cannabis, the draft bill represents our best judgment about how to promote a legal market, minimize risks of societal harm, mitigate damage that does come to pass, avoid liability and provide workable tools and substantial resources for law enforcement and public-health officials to promote the public welfare.”
Lopez said explicitly in the release that the department “does not support the legalization
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