Tsutsui attends Washington event
Lt. Gov. Shan Tsutsui will attend the National Lieutenant Governors Association Federal-State Relations meeting today to Friday in Washington, D.C.
He will be joined by more than 20 other lieutenant governors in a gathering aimed at opening new economic opportunities for Hawaii, while identifying challenges coming from the federal government due to sequestration and other actions, a news release about his trip said.
He will explore opportunities to assist in increasing employment rates among veterans and the disabled and to increase opportunities in the life sciences fields.
"The meeting is an opportunity to work with international leaders to open doors of trade and commerce while working with federal leaders on issues that may impact the way Hawaii serves its people and families," said Tsutsui.
He also will meet with U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, the Ambassador of Mexico to the U.S. Eduardo Medina-Mora, and officials from the embassies of Germany and Israel.
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New Wailuku Pool closed for repairs
The new Wailuku Pool is closed for repairs and will reopen Thursday.
The county Department of Parks and Recreation, Aquatics Division will be working on the drain covers at the pool.
For more information, call Duke Sevilla at 270-6135.
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Project SAM to meet on Lanai
Project SAM, or Smart Approaches to Marijuana, will hold a meeting from 1 to 3 p.m. Thursday at the Four Seasons Resort Lana'i, The Lodge at Koele.
The group is holding community meetings throughout the state to discuss marijuana use and the potential impact it has on health. Project SAM is looking to form a Hawaii chapter, said Kevin Sabet, SAM co-chairman and former senior adviser to the Obama administration on national drug-control policy.
"The legalization of marijuana is moving fast in parts of the United States, and it looks as though the domino effect could quickly move to other states such as Hawaii," said former U.S. Congressman Patrick Kennedy, Project SAM co-chairman. "We decided to bring SAM to Hawaii to spur discussions about marijuana use and misuse."
Project SAM has four main goals:
* To prevent the establishment of "Big Marijuana" - and a 21st-century tobacco industry that would market marijuana to children.
* To promote research of marijuana's medical properties and to produce nonsmoked, nonpsychoactive pharmacy-attainable medications.
* To inform public policy with the science of today's marijuana.
* To have an adult conversation about reducing the unintended consequences of current marijuana policies, such as lifelong stigma due to arrest.
