Hawaii: Recreational Cannabis Bill Delayed to 2026
In Hawaii, lawmakers were supposed to agree on a bill to regulate recreational cannabis use. But the state House of Representatives shelved the measure at the last minute. It will now not be possible to implement it for a year. This is not the first time that Hawaiian lawmakers have put a stop to cannabis reform.
Hawaii's cannabis reforms have just been pushed to a one-year wait. Last week, House Representative Chris Todd surprised everyone with a procedural move that put the brakes on a measure that was supposed to regulate recreational cannabis use. The unexpected motion came less than 48 hours after the legalization bill passed both legislative committees.
What Does The Bill Hope To Achieve?
House Bill 1246 seeks to establish a new state agency within the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs that would regulate recreational and medical cannabis as well as hemp. The regulation would tax retail sales, as has been the case in other states where the law is on the books.
The bill was pushed by Rep. David Tarnas and had already passed the House Judiciary and Hawaiian Affairs Committee and the House Agriculture and Food Systems Committee before hitting a wall last week.
Despite passing both committees, Rep. Todd made a motion to send the bill back to the committee, effectively pushing it to next year. No explanation was provided during the floor debate, and several representatives raised objections to Todd’s action. “On this particular bill, it became clear that we did not have enough support to pass the measure this session,” Rep. Todd told Civil Beat.
Chris Todd voted for the measure Tuesday, Feb. 4, but made the motion to suspend it Thursday, Feb. 6. He added in his statement, “The plan going forward would be to continue to work on the issues at hand and see if we can find broader common ground in the future.”
Some lawmakers noted that it was too early to recommit a bill for next year. The bill will come up again in 2026, and it would not need to be reintroduced in a legislative session. Meanwhile, a companion Senate bill, SB 1613, which also seeks to decriminalize and regulate cannabis, remains on the floor. However, given the recent political shift, it is unlikely to advance much further than House Bill 1246.
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