Ka`u News Briefs Thursday, March 23, 2017

A 4.4 earthquake struck in the Hilina Pali area of Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park on Thursday. Photo from HVNP

A MAGNITUDE 4.4 EARTHQUAKE struck the Hilina Pali area at 10:27 a.m. on Thursday beneath the south flank of Kīlauea Volcano in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. The U.S. Geological Survey's Hawaiian Volcano Observatory reported that the non-damaging temblor was widely felt across the island. It was located about 3 miles WSW of Kaena Point and 12 miles south of Volcano, at a depth of 3.4 mies. A map showing the location is posted on HVO's website at http://hvo.wr.usgs.gov/seismic/volcweb/earthquakes/. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center reported no tsunami threat. There was one minor (M2.6) foreshock and several minor aftershocks following the earthquake.

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Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard said that money spent on prosecuting and incarcerating citizens for marijuana crimes uses funding needed to improve prisons and conduct rehabilitation programs. Photo from Tulsi Gabbard

ENDING FEDERAL MARIJUANA PROHIBITION ACT (HR1227) is the latest bill introduced to Congress by Rep. Tulsi Gabbard. The measure would take marijuana off the federal controlled substances list. Gabbard co-sponsored the bill this week with Republican Congressman Tom Garrett, of Virginia. Garrett is a former prosecutor. Like Gabbard, he is an Army veteran.
      Gabbard pointed to contradiction between federal and state laws. She noted that Hawai`i recently legalized dispensaries to grow, process and dispense medical marijuana, but federal law prohibits banks and credit unions from offering any type of financial services to businesses and individuals whose financial transactions have anything to do with marijuana. She said that recently formed Hawai`i state-licensed medical marijuana businesses and their employees can't open a bank account and have to hold thousands, if not millions, of dollars to conduct business.
      In Ka`u, holders of licenses for growing marijuana under the new state law have been arriving to look at possible locations and talking to landowners about leasing and buying property for their new agricultural ventures.

Federal law prohibits financial institutions form handling loans, accounts or any transactions with owners of marijuana businesses, even if allowed by the state of Hawai`i. Photo from Wikipedia

     Gabbard noted that Hawai`i is one of 28 states allowing medical use of marijuana and called for removing it from Schedule 1 under the United States Controlled Substances Act. The Act defines illegal drugs, such as heroin, based on their high potential for abuse, a lack of accepted medical use, and lack of safety, even under medical supervision. The removal of marijuana from the Schedule 1 list would be based on state-accepted medical use, said Gabbard, who also contended that marijuana "has been proven time and time again to be far less dangerous than alcohol, both for individual consumers and the people around them."
       Gabbard said that FBI reports show that in 2011 alone, an individual in the United States was arrested for marijuana use, sale or possession every 42 seconds, mostly in poor and minority communities. “Our current laws are turning everyday Americans into criminals, sending them to jail, ruining their lives, tearing apart families, and wasting huge amounts of taxpayer dollars to arrest, prosecute, and incarcerate people for marijuana use. 
     "Over the years, we've spent hundreds of billions of dollars locking people up for nonviolent marijuana offenses, creating strain within our criminal justice system, clogging court calendars and
resulting in further overcrowding our prisons," said Gabbard. She recently visited Hawai`i prisons and saw "crumbling infrastructure, extreme overcrowding and facilities in dire need of upgrade. She pointed to "the shortage of services that are actually needed to help rehabilitate people and reduce our recidivism rate."

The vast agricultural lands of Ka`u have drawn the attention of some prospective marijuana growers  recently licensed by the state. Photo by Julia Neal

     Gabbard said, "Whether you personally think that marijuana use is good or bad, whether you would choose to use marijuana or not, the question is, 'Should we really be sending people to jail and turning them into criminals for it?' The answer is no. The fiscal impact, the social impact of our current policy are having devastating ripple effects on individuals and our communities and are only continuing to perpetuate the problem." 

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OLDER CITIZENS OPPOSE AGE TAX IN ANY NEW HEALTH CARE BILL, according to the AARP with its 38 million members across the nation and many hundreds in Ka`u. One proposal in the American Health Care Act now before Congress would allow insurers to charge Americans 50 to 65 years of age five times more than younger people. Current law limits insurers to upping premiums for older Americans to three times the cost charged to younger people.
     AARP hired both Republican and Democrat polling firms that found that "the vast majority of older Americans, including those who voted for President Donald Trump, are opposed to the 'age tax.'" The poll also found that the majority, including Trump supporters, believe Congress should keep Medicaid funding where it is now and let Medicare negotiate prescription drug prices, rather than provide vouchers.
     “Older Americans want affordable health care, including less-expensive prescription drugs and continued protections for the most vulnerable,” said AARP Executive Vice President Nancy LeaMond. “When Americans over age 50 look at the details of the House health care reform plan, they don’t like what they see. They don’t want big insurance and drug companies to reap massive profits at their expense.”

    The legislation that was scheduled for a vote on Thursday, but delayed in the House of Representatives, was opposed by AARP, which stated, "AARP has urged all members of Congress to vote 'no' to the proposed bill, and has vowed to make it an 'accountability' vote —meaning the association will let its nearly 38 million members know how their representatives voted."

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Joyce Suenobu

THE KA`U HOSPITAL CHARITABLE FOUNDATION has shared a letter from the late Kazu Suenobu, written when he made a donation to Ka`u Hospital's Garden Lanai project to provide outdoor space and activity for long-term care residents. Wrote Suenobu, “This proposed raised bed garden area with roses and other flowers will be a wonderful addition to the Ka`u Hospital. A rose plant is like a pretty woman. To keep her happy she needs lots of loving care and attention."
     Suenobu, a lifelong gardener, also shared his method of caring for roses: "To make a rose bush thrive you need to: Plant it in a fertile ground with good drainage. (Roses don’t like wet feet). Don’t tell the 'Chinese rose beetles.' To control [them], dust with pyrethrum, a plant derivative that is non-toxic to animals. Shelter from the strong Ka`u wind. Plant in a sunny area. Water generously when needed. Enjoy!" He noted that his wife Joyce’s favorite rose is a long-stemmed fragrant red rose."
     Donations can be made for the project and to the foundation. See https://www.kauhospital.org/kau-hospital-charitable-foundation.html