Honolulu, Hawaiʻi – Today (March 7) the House
of Representatives passed HB1383 HD2, which decriminalizes the
possession of three or less grams of cannabis and instead establishes a fine of
$200.
"This law keeps drug dealers behind
bars where they belong, but also keeps regular people who just had a joint out
of jail to avoid creating more hardened criminals which makes crime
worse," said Representative Chris Lee, Chair of the House Judiciary
Committee and introducer of the measure. "It removes the unnecessary
permanent mark from their record so they can go back to school, get a better
job, and take care of their family. If we want to actually reduce crime and
reduce substance abuse, then our taxpayer dollars are more effectively spent on
treatment rather than jailing people at a cost of $146 per person per
day."
Under Hawaiʻi's current law, possession of
marijuana is considered promoting a detrimental drug in the third degree and is
a petty misdemeanor punishable by up to 30 days in prison and/or a fine of
$1000 and any offense for which prison time is authorized is considered a
crime. HB1383 HD2 amends this so that possession of three grams or less is a
marijuana infraction with a fine of $200. Under the bill, possession of more
than three grams is still considered promoting a detrimental drug in the third
degree and is a petty misdemeanor.
HB1383 HD2 also provides for the dismissal
of criminal charges and expungement of criminal records pertaining solely to
the possession of three grams or less of cannabis. The bill now moves to the
Senate.
Click
here for a list of all the bills
passed by the House of Representative so far this session.
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