The attorney general of Hawaii says that her office will no longer oppose marijuana legalization—and, in fact, it will work with lawmakers and stakeholders to proactively help advance the reform.
Attorney General Anne Lopez (D), who was appointed by the governor in December but still needs to be confirmed for a full term by the Senate, was asked during a committee hearing on Wednesday whether it would be the department’s position to “automatically oppose” legalization bills, as it has historically done.
“We will not flat-out oppose it,” Lopez said during her confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee, which ultimately endorsed her nomination. “With respect to the policy, I do believe that is the legislature’s area to make those decisions.”
She then went on to make a surprising commitment to work with legislators to craft comprehensive reform legislation.
Specifically, Lopez said that her office would lead an administrative task force “between now and next legislative legislative session to develop a complete regulatory and law enforcement legislative package that you can attach to any bill if you’re planning to legalize marijuana.”
“We’re going to use the summer and our experience thus far—as well as the experience of other
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