CDFH is a SAM Affiliate - a trusted local partner who works closely with SAM in educating on marijuana issues. We share SAM’s goals and ideas about aligning public attitudes with the science on marijuana, and we join forces with SAM to educate citizens and lawmakers on evidence-based marijuana policy.
We believe that legalizing recreational marijuana is a bad idea for Hawaii
Marijuana is not what it used to be. THC potency has increased from 3% in the 1970s, to over 25% today. THC concentrates can reach 90-95% potency. [1]
1. Costs will outweigh underwhelming Revenue Projections
Cannabis tax revenues are expected to range from $36-$51 million in year five, 0.5% of total tax collections. - Isaac Choy, Director, Department of Taxation [2]
In Colorado, for every $1 of tax revenue, the state spends $4.50 counteracting legalization’s effects. [3]
2. Protecting our Moms and Keiki
Pregnancy: “No amount of marijuana use during pregnancy or adolescence is known to be safe.” - Dr. Jerome Adams, U.S. Surgeon General, 2019
Pediatric poisonings: Calls to poison control centers about kids 5 and under consuming edibles containing THC rose 1375% from 2017 to 2021. [4]
3. Youth Use, Mental Health, and Suicide
Cannabis Use Disorder: Marijuana is the #1 drug in Hawaii (76.2%) for adolescent substance abuse treatment [5]
Psychosis and Suicidal ideation: Frequency and higher THC potency are associated with psychosis, suicidality, reshaping of brain matter, and addiction [6]
Vaping Marijuana: 12.5% of Hawaii teens report vaping marijuana [7]
4. Drugged Driving
THC positivity among fatally injured drivers [in Hawaii] increased nearly threefold, from 5.5% in 1993-2000, to 16.3% in 2011-2015. [8]
Marijuana is involved in more than 1 in 4 road deaths in Colorado. [9]
5. Black Market Won’t Go Away
In legalized states the black market is expanding as they undercut the retail price. In 2018 CA grew 12 million pounds of pot but only sold 2.5 million.
In California, 7,200 marijuana vape cartridges were seized in a single bust of a warehouse tied to state-licensed Kushy Brands (Peltz, 2019).
Please support our efforts with a donation, Click Here.
More information about SAM can be found here: www.learnaboutsam.org.
The Parent Action Network was created with the belief that families have a lot to lose if decision-makers aren’t held accountable for making smart, science-based actions on the legalization of marijuana. We believe that most people are naïve to the real harms of today’s marijuana.
The Drug Report
Sign up to receive the Drug Report, a curated aggregate news site providing the latest news and research affecting the drug policy sphere.
Produced in partnership with The Foundation for Drug Policy Solutions and Smart Approaches to Marijuana
Follow on Facebook
Follow up on Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/AreWeSureHawaii
[1] Cannabis Policy: Public Health and Safety Issues and Recommendations. Caucus on International Narcotics Control, United States Senate, March 3, 2021, Washington, D.C. Report, https://www.drugcaucus.senate.gov/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/02-March-2021-Cannabis-Policy-Report-Final.pdf
[2] https://health.hawaii.gov/medicalcannabis/files/2022/08/CANNABIS-TAX-PIG-REPORT-FINAL.pdf
[3] Economic and Social Costs of Legalized Marijuana [Study]. (2018, November 15). In Centennial Institute. Retrieved February 1, 2019, from http://www.ccu.edu/centennial/policy-briefs/marijuana-costs/
[5] ADAD Report to the Legislature 2024, p. 36
[6] Cinnamon Bidwell et al., 2018; Di Forti et al., 2019; Fischer et al., 2017; Pierre et al., 2016.
[7] 2019-2020 Hawaiʻi Student Alcohol, Tobacco and Other Drug Use (ATOD) Survey, p. 38
[8] Motor vehicle crash fatalies and undercompensated care associated with legalization of marijuana. Susan Steinemann, MD, Daniel Galanis, PhD, Tiffany Nguyen, and Walter Biffl, MD, Honolulu, Hawaii
[9] Rocky Mountain High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area. (2019). The legalization of marijuana in Colorado: The impact. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6913861/pdf/ms116_p0450.pdf