HB 2321 Hawaii House · 2026 Regular Session

RELATING TO THE UNIFORM CONTROLLED SUBSTANCES ACT.

HB 2321 updates Hawaii's Uniform Controlled Substances Act (Chapter 329, HRS) to align with recent federal amendments required under state law. The bill directly affects state law enforcement, healthcare providers, and businesses regulated under controlled substances laws by ensuring consistency with federal classifications. It does not create new penalties or regulations but modifies existing state provisions to match federal changes. This procedural update is pending committee review and has not yet been enacted.

Bill status passed 3 of 5 stages cleared

Introduction

Jan 2026

Committee Review

Mar 2026

House Passage

Mar 2026

Senate Passage

Governor

Introduced Jan 26, 2026 Last action Mar 12, 2026

Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

HB2321 → HB2321_HD1 · 4 edits

MODERATE

This bill updates Hawaii's Uniform Controlled Substances Act to align with recent federal changes, primarily by adding numerous synthetic opioids and depressants to the state's prohibited list. The changes include expanding the list of controlled substances to cover new variants of fentanyl and related compounds, while also clarifying legal definitions to ensure comprehensive coverage of these dangerous drugs.

Scope change

The bill significantly expands the scope of controlled substances by adding dozens of new synthetic opioids and depressants to the state schedule, ensuring Hawaii's laws match federal updates.

SCOPE

Added numerous synthetic opioids and depressants to the list of controlled substances, including specific variants like beta-methyl fentanyl, butonitazene, and various fluorinated fentanyl compounds.

DEFINITION

Updated the legal definitions of controlled substances to include specific chemical structures and isomers for the newly added compounds, ensuring precise legal coverage.

Clarified the definition of 'depressants' to explicitly include salts and isomers of the listed substances, preventing loopholes where these forms could escape regulation.

TECHNICAL

Made minor formatting and numbering adjustments to the bill text to correct inconsistencies in the legislative document.

Floor votes

How they voted

This bill passed the House by voice vote (no roll call recorded).

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Mar 12, 2026

Committee

Referred to HHS, JDC.

upper

Mar 12, 2026

Introduced

Received from House (Hse. Com. No. 397).

upper

Mar 10, 2026

Lower · Passed

Passed Third Reading with none voting aye with reservations; none voting no (0) and Representative(s) Kong, Pierick excused (2). Transmitted to Senate.

lower

Feb 24, 2026

Lower · Passed

The committee on JHA recommend that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The votes were as follows: 8 Ayes: Representative(s) Tarnas, Poepoe, Belatti, Cochran, Kahaloa, Sayama, Takayama, Shimizu; Ayes with reservations: none; 0 Noes: none; and 2 Excused: Representative(s) Hashem, Garcia.

lower

Feb 13, 2026

Committee

Re-referred to JHA, referral sheet 13

lower

Feb 2, 2026

Committee

Referred to HLT, JHA, referral sheet 6

lower

Jan 28, 2026

Introduced

Introduced and Pass First Reading.

lower

Jan 26, 2026

Introduced

Pending introduction.

lower

1 primary · 0 co-sponsors