Q: The coronavirus pandemic has exposed numerous flaws in Hawaii’s structure and systems, from outdated technology to economic disparity. If you could take this moment to reinvent Hawaii, to build on what we’ve learned and create a better state, a better way of doing things, what would you do? Please share One Big Idea you have for Hawaii. Be innovative, but be specific.

A: Medical marijuana, other medicinal plants and hemp. I would love to see Hawaii using hemp in full-scale mode. Hemp grows fast, uses less water, no pesticides, and can contribute to food security (hemp seeds), energy (hemp is better conductor than graphene), soil health, hemp fuel (imagine all of Hawaii’s farming equipment running off hemp fuel), 3-D printing (less imports), Hempcrete (hemp hurd and limestone; no more sand mining for cement).