Hawaii Signs Medical Marijuana Into Law

Hawaii has become the first state in the union to approve legislation legalizing the possession and use of marijuana for medical purposes.

Signing the bill into law on Wednesday, Gov. Ben Cayetano said it was one aspect of his effort to make Hawaii the healthcare 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.

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.

The department first must formulate and implement rules to govern the registration process. That could take about two months.

Donald Topping, of the advocacy group Drug Policy Forum, applauds the signing of the bill into law.

"It will allow patients who have been using marijuana to do so without fear or prosecution," Topping said. "There are a number of people who would like to use it but have hesitated because of the illegality of it."

There are between 500 and 1,000 people in Hawaii who will be eligible to use medical marijuana, although the exact number is hard to discern because some people keep quiet about their use, Topping said.

Topping and others agreed with Cayetano's prediction that the Hawaii law will lead to similar legislation in other states.

"This may set an example for other states, give them the courage to proceed," Topping said. "I think the fear of being soft on drugs is beginning to fade now with this kind of legislation being passed. I see other states following suit in the near future."

People who are stopped by police and found to be possessing marijuana will have to prove they are exempt from the state's criminal laws governing marijuana. Those laws remain in effect for all citizens not registered with the department.

The Rev. Dennis Shields of the Religion of Jesus Church, which uses marijuana as a sacrament, said his effort to win passage of a medical marijuana law resulted from the death of his son, Ryan, from cancer in 1991.

"I think he would be happy," said Shields. "For him right now, going through his struggle, he would have the opportunity not to feel the guilt some people put on him."

"When you're throwing up uncontrollably, with 100 stitches in your gut that are fresh, you don't care about getting high, you care about stopping throwing up."

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