HOUSE, SENATE OK MEDICAL MARIJUANA

The Hotly Contested Bill Is Among Hundreds To Pass Before Tomorrow's
Crossover Deadline

For years, advocates have argued that marijuana use should be
legalized for medicinal purposes. Each time, such measures have gone
up in smoke.

Yesterday, the Senate and House struck the match to further debate on
the issue by swapping bills permitting medicinal use of marijuana --
for the first time.

Preliminary approvals came with a one-vote margin in the state Senate
and a two-thirds majority vote in the House.

The two bills were among hundreds passed by the House and Senate as
both chambers exchanged bills before tomorrow's legislative crossover
deadline.

The Senate bill on marijuana would allow persons with a
life-threatening or debilitating illness such cancer, AIDS or glaucoma
to possess small amounts of marijuana for personal use. The Senate's
two Republicans split on the issue, with Sen. Whitney Anderson (R,
Kailua, Waimanalo) saying he opposed legalizing marijuana for anyone.

But Republican Sen. Sam Slom (R, Kalama Valley, Aina Haina) said
persons suffering from serious and painful medical problems should be
free to use whatever means are available to stop their suffering.

Democrat Norman Sakamoto (D, Moanalua, Salt Lake) said any
legalization would lead to "potential criminal activity." "We are not
in business to tempt people to bend the law," he said.

Voting against the bill were Sens. Sakamoto, Anderson, David Ige (D,
Pearlridge, Pacific Palisades), Marshall Ige (D, Kaneohe, Enchanted
Lake), Randy Iwase (D, Mililani, Waipio Gentry), Cal Kawamoto (D,
Waipahu, Pearl City), Rod Tam (D, Downtown, Nuuanu), David Matsuura
(D, South Hilo, Puna), Lorraine Inouye (D, North Hilo, Kohala), Jan
Yagi Buen (D, North/West Maui, Molokai, Lanai), Bob Nakata (D,
Kaneohe-Kahuku) and Jonathan Chun (D, South Kauai, Niihau).

In the House, 18 lawmakers opposed the bill to allow patients to
acquire, possess, cultivate, distribute and use marijuana with a
written doctor's note for treatment.

The two big glamour issues of the Senate session -- civil service
reform and gun control -- passed with little debate.