Enough already, legalize Marijuana!

I am disappointed in my elected officials this session. Despite the widespread approval rating and decades of research, we once again missed our chance to legalize Marijuana use. I am embarrassed that, once again, we fell for decades-long fear-mongering propaganda to enable the failure that is the war on drugs. Hawaii was a trailblazer for being the first state to legalize medical marijuana, and it's an embarrassment that we are dragging our feet on this issue. How many more years do we have to shout that the benefits of Marijuana far outweigh any of its dangers? That it won't increase the crime rate. It's an incredibly lucrative industry that can help Hawaii be more self-reliant. It's not a harm to keiki. And most of all, it's not a While it's true that young children are exposed to marijuana develop some difficulties as they grow up. However, that is no different than a child inhaling secondhand smoke and being exposed to alcohol. And while youth are the more likely to get addicted to marijuana, there is no proof legalizing it would increase usage amongst people under 18. Senator John Hickenlooper from Denver, who was initially against legalization in his state, was asked ten years after legalization if he was wrong about the drug and if it didn't lead to increased use of marijuana among youths. Thats because, and I can't believe I have to state this, marijuana isn't sold to people under the age of 18-20 where it's legal. Bolder University conducted a study in 2023 and showed no significant rise in violent crime or duis following legalization. They found that it has lowered the rate of crime in the state. And for the last time, marijuana is not a gateway drug. We have known this since 2002. While it's actual people addicted to drugs started with marijuana, that doesn't mean weed is the problem. It's more of a warning sign of addiction and mental health. Addiction is a disease, and it affects anyone from drugs and alcohol to sugar and listening to music. It's also incredibly lucrative; it brought Colorado billions of dollars to the state economy. It's a 100 billion dollar industry, and states have been able to tax and collect up to 3 billion in taxes. We don't have to be so reliant on tourism if we legalize it. We don't have to rely so much on the Japanese market to decide whether to patch up potholes, build affordable housing, or finance restorative justice pilot programs. I find it so ignorant how so many of you guys complain about our crowded jails and want to find some way to levitate the pressure on our Department of Corrections. But the second we suggest that we stop arresting people for a victim's lesser crime, you all get up in arms. Overall, marijuana should have been legalized a long time ago. It's good for the community, it is suitable for the economy, and 3/4th of the entire population of Hawaii wants marijuana legalized. It's no more dangerous than alcohol or weed, and it's what the people want. So perhaps you should listen.