HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

H.R. NO.

164

TWENTY-NINTH LEGISLATURE, 2018

 

STATE OF HAWAII

 

 

 

 

 

HOUSE RESOLUTION

 

 

Urging THE United States COngress TO REMOVE MARIJUANA FROM SCHEDULE I OF THE FEDERAL CONTROLLED SUBSTANCES ACT.

 

 

 


     WHEREAS, under the federal Controlled Substances Act, the scheduling of a drug or other substance under schedule I requires, among other findings, that the drug or other substance has no currently accepted medical use in treatment in the United States; and

 

     WHEREAS, although marijuana is listed under schedule I of the federal Controlled Substances Act, the medical use of marijuana in treatment exists and is accepted in 29 states, including Hawaii, as well as the District of Columbia, Guam, and Puerto Rico; and

 

     WHEREAS, in 2000, Hawaii's Legislature found that modern medical research discovered a beneficial use for marijuana in treating or alleviating the pain or other symptoms associated with certain debilitating illnesses, and passed Hawaii's medical use of marijuana law to allow seriously ill individuals in the State to acquire, possess, and use marijuana for medical purposes; and

 

     WHEREAS, in light of the growing number of states with initiatives legalizing marijuana, the United States Attorney General James M. Cole issued a memorandum in 2013 (Cole Memorandum) that identified certain enforcement areas that federal prosecutors should prioritize, and deferred challenging state marijuana legislation if strict regulatory systems are imposed protecting those federal priorities; and

 

     WHEREAS, on January 4, 2018, the United States Attorney General Jeff Sessions rescinded the Cole Memorandum and issued a new memorandum instructing United States attorneys to enforce federal law related to marijuana; now, therefore,

     BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-ninth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2018, that the United States Congress is urged to consider legislation removing marijuana from schedule I of the federal Controlled Substances Act; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Resolution be transmitted to the President of the United States, President Pro Tempore of the United States Senate, Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, Majority Leader of the United States Senate, Majority Leader of the United States House of Representatives, and each member of Hawaii's congressional delegation.

 

 

 

 

OFFERED BY:

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Report Title: 

Controlled Substances Act; Marijuana