HAWAII APPROVES MEDICAL MARIJUANA

HONOLULU -- Hawaii yesterday became the first state to use legislation to
approve the possession and use of marijuana for medical purposes.

While signing the bill into law, Gov. Ben Cayetano said it was one aspect
of his effort to make Hawaii the health-care center of the Pacific.

"I'm glad to see this bill before me," he said. "My own feeling is more
states are going to come on."

Hawaii is the eighth state to decriminalize the use of medical marijuana,
but the previous seven states did so through ballot measures.

Voters in Alaska, Washington, California, Arizona, Nevada, Oregon, Maine
and the District of Columbia have approved medical marijuana laws. The U.S.
Justice Department is challenging those laws.

Under Hawaii's law, patients with certain qualifying illnesses must obtain
a doctor's recommendation to use medical marijuana and must register with
the state Department of Public Safety to avoid criminal prosecution under
state law.