STAND. COM. REP. NO. 437
Honolulu, Hawaii
, 2017
RE: H.B. No. 773
H.D. 1
Honorable Joseph M. Souki
Speaker, House of Representatives
Twenty-Ninth State Legislature
Regular Session of 2017
State of Hawaii
Sir:
Your Committee on Agriculture, to which was referred H.B. No. 773 entitled:
"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO INDUSTRIAL HEMP,"
begs leave to report as follows:
The Drug Policy Forum of Hawaii, Ohana o Kauai, Ho‘omana Pono, LLC., Kihei Community Association, Hawaii Farmers Union United, We Are One, Inc., and many concerned individuals supported this measure. The Honolulu Police Department opposed this measure. The Department of the Attorney General and Department of Agriculture offered comments.
Your Committee has amended this measure by changing its effective date to July 31, 2150, to promote further discussion.
Should the Committee on Judiciary decide to deliberate further on this measure, your Committee respectfully requests that it consider the Attorney General's concerns that growing industrial hemp would be in violation of federal law, unless it is grown as part of a well-regulated state pilot program. The Attorney General added that removing state penalties for growing industrial hemp without a well-regulated state program may increase the risk of federal prosecution and give local growers the mistaken impression that industrial hemp is also federally legal.
As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Agriculture that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 773, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 773, H.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Judiciary.
Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Agriculture,
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____________________________ RICHARD P. CREAGAN, Chair |
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