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Hawaiian lawmakers are pushing forward with their latest cannabis reform effort as the state Senate passed legislation that would legalize and regulate recreational cannabis on Tuesday.

In a 19-6 vote, the Hawaiian Senate approved Senate Bill 3335, which would allow adults over the age of 21 to possess up to an ounce of cannabis and up to five grams of cannabis concentrates, along with establishing a recreational cannabis sales framework. 

The proposal would also enforce a 14% excise tax on recreational cannabis products and a 4% tax rate on the medical cannabis market. Residents would be allowed to grow a maximum of six plants and possess up to 10 ounces of home-grown flower. Additionally, the bill would create a social equity program and establish the Hawaii Hemp and Cannabis Authority, overseen by the Hemp Cannabis Control Board, to regulate cannabis and hemp businesses.

Though the fight is far from over. 

An Uncertain Fate in the House and Outstanding Criticisms

The legislation now heads to Hawaii’s more conservative House for consideration, which has historically been resistant to adult-use cannabis policies. The last time the Hawaiian Senate passed an adult-use cannabis legalization bill in 2023, it ultimately stalled in the House, but advocates are hopeful this effort will make more progress.

This year’s bill, totaling more than 300 pages, was introduced in both chambers in January and is primarily based upon Hawaii Attorney General Anne Lopez’s legalization plan released in November 2023.

And while many lawmakers have praised the new bill and the plan it’s based upon, advocates have expressed concerns around the bill’s creation of additional law enforcement protocols.

The legislation includes provisions that impose THC blood limits for drivers, despite the fact that THC metabolites can be detected in the body days or even weeks after consumption. It also creates a cannabis enforcement unit within the Department of Law Enforcement and adds eight positions in a drug nuisance abatement unit in the AG’s office.

Advocates also highlighted another provision subjecting those found with loose cannabis, an open package for a cannabis product or a cannabis pipe in a car to up to 30 days in jail.

With these provisions in mind, a number of groups are pushing to make amendments to SB 3335.

Amendment Efforts Among Reform Advocates

Karen O’Keefe, director of state policies for the Marijuana Policy Project, said that lawmakers are being faced with an opportunity, not only to enact legalization and regulation but in a manner “rooted in justice and equity, not an excessively punitive approach.” 

Rather, O’Keefe said that lawmakers should see cannabis legalization as “essential criminal justice reform” and further emphasize education, reinvestment in communities, reparative justice and building a more equitable and inclusive industry.

The Hawai’i Alliance for Cannabis Reform (HACR) similarly recognized that the Senate’s approval of SB 3335 was a sign of progress while referencing their ongoing concerns and proposed amendments to the legislation. The group’s amendments include eliminating the THC limit for drivers and open container provisions in the bill, with others expanding upon the social equity specifics of the legislation.

“Although this is an imperfect bill that still contains far too many elements of criminalization, it’s welcome news to have a viable adult-use legalization bill that can be improved upon when it reaches the House,” said Nikos Leverenz, grants and advancement manager of the Drug Policy Forum of Hawai’i and the Hawai’i Health and Harm Reduction Center. “Drug Policy Forum of Hawaii and other members of the Hawaii Alliance for Cannabis Reform are hopeful that our proposed amendments will be considered by the House Judiciary and Hawaiian Affairs Committee.”

Continued Reform Efforts and Governor Support

Alongside the latest cannabis legalization bill, senators also approved a separate piece of legislation, SB 2487, which reduces penalties around possession of up to 15 grams of cannabis to a non-criminal offense. If passed, offenders would instead pay a $130 fine. 

A similar bill in the House, HB 1596, would reduce penalties of cannabis possession up to one ounce and/or cannabis-related paraphernalia to a $25 fine.

It seems that clearing the House is the main obstacle for recreational cannabis legalization in Hawaii, as Gov. Josh Green (D) indicated last month that he would likely sign such a bill if lawmakers sent him one. 

In an appearance on Hawaii News Now, Green referenced that Hawaii must still address the social issue of cannabis legalization, even signaling that access to adult-use cannabis could act as a harm reduction effort.

“I don’t think the sky would fall, honestly, if marijuana were legalized,” Green said. “I also have some thoughts that marijuana might blunt the effect, if you will, of people on these heavy drugs, these horrible drugs.”

While it’s still uncertain exactly where this road will go, Senate Democrats have made it clear that cannabis legalization is a priority. At the beginning of the year, the issue appeared on the Senate’s list of priorities for the 2024 legislative session under a section centering economic development and infrastructure.

“The Senate remains committed to diversifying and expanding Hawai‘i’s economy, as well as improving infrastructure throughout the State,” the section starts. It mentions “investing in emerging industries to diversify the economy” before explicitly referencing “legalizing adult-use recreational cannabis” at the very end of the section.

We’ll have to wait and see if the House feels the same this time around.

The post Hawaiian Senate Overwhelmingly Approves Adult-Use Cannabis Legalization Bill appeared first on High Times.

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A lawsuit has accused an Oregon nurse of replacing a patient’s fentanyl IV with tap water, leading to a bacterial infection that killed him.

Horace Wilson, known to his family and friends as “Buddy” was a founding member of an award-winning Oregon cannabis company called Decibel Farms. He fell off a ladder in January of 2022, which ruptured his spleen causing him to be hospitalized. He underwent several surgeries after which he started experiencing complications, including sepsis. A blood test revealed a bacterial growth later identified as Staphylococcus epidermidis, according to the Oregonian. Wilson died on February 25 from treatment-resistant sepsis related to this infection.

At the time of Wilson’s death, his family and business partner passed it off as basic incompetence on the hospital’s part mixed with bad luck, but two years after Wilson’s death, some shocking new developments began to unfold implicating that a nurse working for Asante Rogue Regional Medical Center where Wilson was receiving care may have been siphoning fentanyl out of IV bags and replacing it with tap water, leading to the bacterial infection that ultimately killed him. His estate filed a lawsuit against the nurse in question this past Monday. The Medford Police Department released a statement about the matter on January 3.

“In early December 2023 the Medford Police Department was contacted by officials from Asante in regard to a former employee that they believe was involved in the theft of controlled substances prescribed to patients. Additionally, there was concern that this behavior resulted in adverse patient care, though the extent of the impact on those patients is yet to be determined. MPD is actively working on investigating these claims,” a Medford Police Department Facebook post said. “MPD has received numerous calls from individuals asking if they or a family member have been impacted by the suspected actions of the former Asante employee. Asante has informed MPD that they have identified the involved patients and have notified or are in the process of notifying them or their families.

It is unclear exactly how many patients may have been affected by the nurse’s alleged actions but a lawyer representing the estate of Horace Wilson told the Oregonian he has at least nine clients whose medications may have been swapped out for tap water. The nurse in question was named in the $11.5 million lawsuit as Dani Marie Schofield, though Medford police have not confirmed that she is a suspect nor has Asante released a statement about her. 

Shaun Bishop of Decibel Farms and Horace Wilson’s business partner before he passed told High Times that his friend Buddy has been dearly missed, and the recent news about the possibility that his death may have been avoidable has “added insult to injury.”

“When it came to the time of his death, we all just kind of threw our hands up and we’re like, yeah, hospitals suck, you know. That’s a good place to go if you want if you wanna die,” Bishop said. “We just saw through it and figured it was incompetence just from modern medicine and hospitals and the way they operate. But finding out that it was from criminal activity brings a whole ‘nother source of pain to the situation for me and primarily his children.”

Bishop stressed that Wilson was a great business partner, great friend, lover of cannabis and loved his kids more than anything else in the world. He left behind five children, one of whom, Bishop told High Times, was at his side the entire time he was in the hospital. To Bishop’s knowledge, that same child wrote a letter of complaint to Asante Rogue Regional Medical Center regarding Schofield and her perceived incompetence at the time, though none of them necessarily suspected criminal activity at the time.

“[Wilson’s daughter] spent the month he was in the hospital. She was there primarily by herself for most of that time except when the other kids or I would come visit. So she was the closest to the nurse,” Bishop said. “She knew that nurse on a daily basis and had really weird feelings about her since the beginning. She voiced it early, early on that there’s something wrong with that nurse. We were like, yeah, we know, [name redacted] It’s frustrating being in the hospital, but we didn’t know it was a criminal vibe she was picking up.”

The child in question whose name I’ve left out of this out of an abundance of respect for the privacy of the family declined to comment for this article because it could affect the integrity of the lawsuit. No criminal charges have yet been announced against Schofield. The business Wilson left behind is a multiple award-winning cannabis producer that helped pioneer the very early days of Oregon’s legal market. Bishop told High Times that Wilson dying was incredibly hard on the company but also that he helped lay down a solid framework so Decibel Farms could continue on without him.

The post Oregon Cannabis Grower Dies After Nurse Allegedly Replaces his Fentanyl IV with Tap Water appeared first on High Times.

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Senate Bill 5376 was recently passed in the House in Washington state on Feb. 29, which would establish new rules for cannabis waste if it became law.

Currently, cannabis waste (specifically roots, stalks, leaves, and stems that aren’t considered to be “dangerous”) is dumped into landfills and produces methane gas as it decomposes. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 50% of landfill gas consists of methane, which is 28 times more effective than carbon dioxide to trap heat in the atmosphere.

SB-5376 aims to reduce the amount of cannabis waste, and methane gas, that is being produced in Washington landfills. If the law is signed by Gov. Jay Inslee, it would allow cannabis cultivators and processors to sell that plant material with 0.3% THC or less to the general public instead. According to a report from The Spokesman-Review, public buyers could use plant waste for composting or use it to make certain hemp products such as hempcrete, which can be used to make hempcrete or insulation, or hemp fiber products like clothing or animal bedding.

Seth Shamberg, who is the operations manager at Blue Roots Cannabis, a Spokane County-based producer and processor, told The Spokesman Review that they dump an estimated 2,200 pounds cannabis waste material into the landfill every month (approximately 26,400 pounds of material per year). “Usually, we mix it with dirt, cocoa, wood chips, all kinds of (organic material),” said Shamberg. “There isn’t anything recoverable once it’s been ground and mixed like that.”

The material fills up a 40-yard container dumpster, and costs $600 for each one. “This doesn’t do our society any good to be continuing to fill landfills, especially when it’s being mixed with nonorganic garbage piling up or being put into plastic contractor bags before it’s dumped,” Shamberg explained.

Current law in Washington state requires that processors mix cannabis waste with 50% other materials such as paper waste, cardboard waste, plastic waste, or soil. Many processors utilize cat litter or mulch wood chips.

According to Zero Waste Washington executive director Heather Trim mixing in non-cannabis material with cannabis waste only further contributes to the production of methane gas. Trim estimates that nearly 500-1,100 pounds of cannabis is dumped into landfills each week during the growing season in Washington state (based on approximately 1,000 licensed growers).

Trim added that SB-5376 is supported by a House Bill 1799, which was passed in Washington state in June 2022. The bill aims to “reduce methane emissions by diverting organic materials from municipal landfills where they would decompose and create the gas.” Currently, the goal is to require residents and businesses to remove organic material from the garbage and have it collected by an “organics collector or composting facility.”

According to SB-5376, cannabis waste can’t be reused if it’s considered to be “dangerous.” This includes both its THC content, but also any pesticides that were used during the cultivation process. Any materials that are toxic or flammable would not be permitted.

During the sale process, it must be available to the public “on an equal and nondiscriminatory basis.” All purchases and details, including the quantity, price, and name of person or organization who purchases the cannabis waste, must be reported to the Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board as well as the Department of Agriculture. “It would be nice to see the [Legislature] start to give more detail to some of the cannabis policies that we have in order to give us the opportunity to better rectify the issues that we face,” said Shamberg.

At the House meeting on Feb. 29, Rep. Shelley Kloba offered support of the bill, which she described as creating “a circular economy.” Cultivators would potentially be able to earn extra revenue, and those who buy the waste can benefit from reusing the products, while all parties help reduce waste in the landfill.

However, Rep. Leonard Christian expressed his opposition due to personal negative memories of how cannabis affected his youth. He explained how his mother worked as a cross country trucker and would leave money for he and his siblings. Unfortunately, his sibling would use the money to buy cannabis, leaving Christian only able to obtain food at school. “I’ve seen it wreck a lot of lives over the years,” said Christian. “It’s just not for me, and I’m not going to vote for a marijuana bill.”

A recent report published by Health Canada in January shows that the country has disposed of 3.7 million pounds of cannabis since legalization began in 2018. The disposed cannabis wasn’t waste however, an expert believes it was mainly product that was either too old or had too little THC to be sold. “There is no demand for old and low-THC products, so manufacturers of finished products are not buying this biomass as inputs,” said industry consultant Farrell Miller. “It’s likely low-quality material with no value. As consumers become more savvy with packaging dates on dried cannabis products, this trend will only continue.”

The post Cannabis Waste in Washington State Would Be Diverted from Landfills Under New Bill appeared first on High Times.

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Travis and Jason Kelce—probably the most famous brothers to play recently in the NFL—discussed how weed-related suspensions can haunt players for years to come in a recent podcast. But for Travis it changed the course of his career, sending him on a path as a tight end for the Kansas City Chiefs.

In a recent podcast New Heights with Jason & Travis Kelce, they discussed the year-long suspension that haunted Travis after he tested positive for THC in 2010 while playing for when Travis played college football for the University of Cincinnati Bearcats. In 2013, the Dallas Cowboys passed on him in an interview while scouting for talent, he explained in the podcast.

After testing positive for THC in a drug test, was suspended the entire 2010 season for what the Bearcats called a “violation of team rules,” which was in fact failing a drug test for cannabis. When he tested positive, Travis was in New Orleans for the 2010 Sugar Bowl with Cincinnati. Not only was he judged and ridiculed for supposedly being immature for smoking pot, but it ended up having serious consequences at the NFL’s annual combine where they scout out new talent for future NFL stars. 

USA Today reported that while future Kansas City Chiefs coach Andy Reid had faith in him, regardless of the failed drug test and subsequent suspension, “America’s Team”—the Dallas Cowboys—declined to accept him at the annual NFL combine in 2013, instead recruiting someone else. He recalled the course of events that year on the podcast, as his brother Jason pressed him for more details.

“At the combine, I had some bad interviews,” Travis said. “The Cowboys, they were kind of pressing me about having this red flag of missing a year—smoking weed. I don’t know if I was having a bad morning, I basically was just, I don’t even know if I want to say this.”

While Travis seemed reluctant to discuss it, Jason encouraged his brother to elaborate.

“It ended really fast,” Travis added. “I basically just said, ‘If you guys think I’m gonna be that kind of guy or you’re questioning if I’m still that person after everything that I’ve battled through to get to where I am now from missing a season, then you guys probably go somewhere else and pick somebody else.’ That is exactly what they did.”

So who did the Cowboys recruit instead of Kelce? The Cowboys ended up drafting tight end Gavin Escobar in the second round. He spent five seasons in the league, catching just 30 passes for 333 yards and eight touchdowns. In 2023, Travis caught 984 receiving yards, with 1,138 receiving yards in 2022.

Escobar ended up being the 47th overall pick in 2013, while Kelce fell to 63, the first selection of the third round, by the Kansas City Chiefs.

The episode was shared March 2 on social media.

Kelce’s Suspension Changed the Course of His Career

The brothers have discussed the 2010 suspension several times before. In an earlier podcast in December 2023, episode 231 of Bussin’ With the Boys, Travis mentioned his 2010 suspension and explained that it actually led him from switching positions as quarterback to tight end.

“What it did was it really kicked me into the tight end room,” Travis said. “I was still playing QB then. It was like, ‘Alright, you can come walk on the team, but we don’t need a quarterback. You can just be an athlete on scout team for a year, we’ll figure it out.’”

The tight end acknowledged how much things have changed. Travis in particular has opened up before about how common pot is for NFL players, and how they typically get away with it despite drug tests.

In June 2023, Travis estimated that up to 80% of players in the NFL smoke pot. “If you just stop [smoking weed] in the middle of July, you’re fine,” he said. “A lot of guys stop a week before and they still pass [drug tests] because everybody’s working out in the heat and sweating their tail off. Nobody’s really getting hit for it anymore.”

Former tight end Martellus Bennett estimated that closer to “89 percent” of NFL players smoke pot, and former running back Ricky Williams, who was also suspended for smoking pot, suggested “at least 80%” of players did the same. Williams, Marshawn Lynch, Tiki Barber, Calvin Johnson, and others have also invested in pot-related companies.

This aligns with what is seen in other pro sports leagues like the NBA and MMA organizations like the UFC. 

Jason also recently announced his retirement from the NFL after playing for 13 seasons.

The post Travis Kelce: Cowboys Passed On Me Over Pot-Related Suspension appeared first on High Times.

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