HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – Many attendees at the Hawaii Cannabis Expo this weekend touted the medicinal benefits of marijuana and hope to change its negative reputation.

MMA fighter Hansel Aquino says his doctor suggested cannabis to help him with his rare form of cancer. But that meant relearning what he was taught about marijuana.

“I was [from a] Catholic family and Christian family, so the negative stigma of cannabis was shown,” Aquino said. “I was like no way, I’m not doing that, that’s a drug.”

Aquino was told he had 3 months to live so he figured he had nothing to lose.

“It helped me out with my cancer pain, my hunger, my mood, my stress, so ever since then I’ve been an advocate for cannabis,” he said.

Aquino’s story is one of many shared at the industry event, which brought together dozens of exhibitors from across the country and state policy makers. They’re working to spread positive awareness and counter decades of what they call misinformation driven by big business interests.

Some hope new members in the legislature, including a new House Speaker, will back more progressive laws.

But it won’t be easy — Hawaii’s law enforcement community opposes legalization of recreational marijuana, pointing to other states where super-potent cannabis has been tied to traffic deaths and societal problems.

“We certainly have to have the proper safeguard in place to make certain that the people that need it are using it and we keep it away from our youth,” said former state senator Will Espero, who supported making medical marijuana legal in Hawaii.

Some say regulation and enforcement are needed to curb the black market.

“It’s already on the street, so I can go visit my neighbor and get some now if I wanted to. So it’s not like it’s not available for people out there, but having them more controlled might be a better thing,” said Jovan “Phat Joe” Ladao, a radio host and cannabis advocate.

The Hawaii Cannabis Expo continues Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Blaisdell Exhibition Hall. Visit hawaiicannabisexpo.com for more information.

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