Far away
Far away
I imagined that, despite the diversity within Hawaii’s societies and the brief and consistent visitors from across the world, we would individually all strive to achieve safe middle-class ambitions like basic financial security, a wholesome family life, an education for excellence, a fulfilling task with a discretionary wage, good health (and white teeth), a house, freedom to worship, protection from terrorism, and an environment effortlessly harnessed for our needs.
Life today should be this straightforward.
In closing, fair is fair. Add some equity and pass it on!
Patrick Walsh
Hilo
Helmet law needed
The proposed helmet law, a law that I have always wished would be enacted, must have the provision that the helmet meet Department of Transportation standards. Wearing a helmet and all the other proper clothing will not fully guarantee saving a rider from possible maiming or death, but they will give the rider a shot of surviving an accident.
California has a helmet law, but not all riders use approved helmets as my best friend did and it cost him his life. My message to all bikers is simple: Think of your families when you hit the road, as they will either be caregivers or grieving your loss long after an accident. The ride is just as good with or without a helmet on. I know!
Carmine Spada
Pahoa
Safe access needed
The latest “battle” a Big Island group of medical cannabis patients are waging underscores the need for a state law which provides patients with safe and affordable access to medicine for their illnesses (“Marijuana battle brewing,” Oct. 21).
It is understandable why patients are desperate to take matters into their own hands because the legislature failed to pass a dispensary bill during the last 13 years.
It’s a Catch-22 when the law allows licensed cannabis patients to use cannabis for illnesses yet remains silent on how to obtain it. This conundrum has prompted some patients to threaten to break the law and even risk arrest to bring attention to the severity of the situation. Could this be another court fight in the making?
In the early days of medical cannabis, when there were only 1,000 or so patients in the state, the situation was not dire. But now with 11,000 patients (5,000 on the Big Island) and no place to buy medicine, all kinds of problems are created. Among them, patients are forced to become criminals when buying from the black market, the quality of the medicine is not guaranteed, the supply of medicine is inconsistent, and patients are exposed to criminals selling seriously harmful and addictive drugs such as heroin. The current situation supports an environment of criminality.
Whereas, Big Island Americans for Safe Access attempts to lobby the legislature to pass substantive laws that will advance the safety and accessibility to medical grade cannabis, we understand patients who are tired of waiting for the legislature to act. Hopefully this latest move will add urgency to remedy the crisis patients now find themselves in.
Demand that your representatives pass a statewide medical cannabis dispensary bill during the 2014 legislative session.
Andrea Tischler
Chair, Big Island Chapter
Americans for Safe Access
Hilo