On March 20, 2013, at 8:30 A.M., I testified before the Hawaii House Health Committe in opposition of SB642 proposed HD1 that increases the amount of marijuana a medical marijuana patient can possess from 3 mature and 4 immature marijuana plants to 7 marijuana plants regardless of maturity, and from 1 ounce to 5 ounces of usable marijuana. The bill also increases the amount of patients a primary caregiver can oversee from 1 to 3. We believe the medical marijuana law should not be changed.
At 2:15 P.M. before the Senate Health Committee, Honolulu Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Tricia Nakamatsu and I testified in opposition to HB910 HD2, which establishes a 1 year limit to the length of conditional release for petty misdemeanor and misdemeanor charges; clarifies circumstances under which the one-year conditional release may be tolled; and requires information-sharing among public agencies. We opose the 1 year limitation on offenders being treated by the state hospital because any person on conditional releases are still a danger to self or others. Rather then an across the board discharge of offenders after 1 year, there should be a case-by-case analysis in deciding who should be discharged from medical care. I mentioned that if the state hospital does not want to oversee offenders who are deemed dangerous than at least contract an organization that is willing to treat them for their mental illness in order to protect the public.
At 5:30 P.M., together with Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Tricia Nakamatsu, Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Allen Yadao, and Mike Noguchi, I attended Representative Clift Tsuji and Representative Kyle Yamashita’s campaign fundraiser at Mandalay Restaurant in Downtown Honolulu.
JON RIKI KARAMATSU 