Hawaii Recreational Cannabis Bill Shelved for 2026
Lawmakers in Hawaii were due to agree on a bill that seeks to regulate the adult-use of cannabis. However, the state’s House of Representatives shelved the measure last minute, and now it won’t be possible to act on it for another year. It’s not the first instance that Hawaiian legislators are killing cannabis reform for the time being.
Cannabis reforms in Hawaii have just steered for a year-long wait. Last week, House Representative Chris Todd surprised everyone with a rare procedural move that put the brakes on a measure supposed to regulate adult-use of cannabis. The unexpected motion occurred less than 48 hours after two legislative committees gave their ‘yes’ on the legalization bill.
Legal Marijuana in Hawaii Postponed After Abrupt Policy Reversal
House Bill 1246 (HB 1246) seeks to establish a new state agency as part of the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs which will regulate recreational and medical cannabis and also hemp. The regulation foresees taxing retail sales, as seen in other legal states.
The bill has been pushed by Representative David Tarnas, and it had already passed the House Judiciary and Hawaiian Affairs Committee and the House Agriculture and Food Systems Committee before facing a wall last week.
Despite it was cleared through two committees, Rep. Todd introduced a motion to recommit the bill to committee, thereby punting the bill until next year. No explanation was provided during floor discussion, 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 in this session,” Rep. Todd told Civil Beat.
Todd voted for the measure on Tuesday (Feb. 4) but introduced the motion to shelve on 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 more common ground in the future.”
Some lawmakers commented that it was too early to recommit any bill for the next year. The bill will be there in 2026, and there won’t be any need to reintroduce it for a legislative session. At the same time, a companion Senate bill SB 1613, which also seeks to decriminalize and regulate cannabis, remains alive. However, given the recent policy flip-flop, it has little chances to progress much further than House Bill 1246.
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Stephen Andrews
