Hawaii Voters Want Higher Minimum Wage, Reject Legal Pot

A large majority of people in the state are in favor of a substantial increase in the minimum wage, a new Civil Beat Poll shows. But the state should not legalize marijuana for recreational use.

Increasing the wage from $7.25 an hour to at least $9.25 is something that 68 percent of statewide registered voters agree on. Just 23 percent rejected the idea. (A $2 pay hike per hour would amount to a nearly 30 percent raise for workers who bring home the minimum.)

But 59 percent of respondents said they do not want the Aloha State to follow Washington and Colorado in allowing residents to smoke marijuana, which is considered a Schedule I drug akin to heroin, peyote and LSD by the federal government. Only one-third of voters feel it's time to get legally high on pakalolo.

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