HONOLULU (AP) — Dear Tourist: The flowers in that bright-purple lei you received on your Hawaii vacation almost certainly weren’t grown in the Aloha State.
The vast majority of those odorless orchids are imported from Thailand, where it is cheaper to grow and string them into the garlands synonymous with Hawaiian culture.
Some Hawaii lawmakers think the state should be doing more to help the producers of lei made with locally grown, fragrant flowers. Ideas include labeling requirements that would identify Hawaii-made garlands and a prohibition on state agencies buying imported lei, though some lei-sellers worry that such rules would make the garlands too expensive…