August 2016 HDA Industry UpdateThe Hawai‘i Dispensary Alliance is pleased to announce the release of the August 2016 Edition of the HDA Industry Update.  This unique, members-only resource is the premier industry publication written exclusively for Hawai‘i’s medical marijuana industry.

In this August issue, we present a number of different articles that will appeal to dispensaries, patients, doctors, and related businesses alike.

In the first article we join with the industry in celebrating Governor David Ige’s recent signing of HB2707 into law as Act 230. The Department of Health has done a great job already implementing the Act’s provisions – APRN’s can now certify new patients – and we look forward to working with the Legislative Oversight Group and our members in the fall to create new priorities on behalf of the industry for next year’s legislative session.

In the second article, long-time Alliance stalwart, Sugar Leaf Supply Co. details their vision and place in the industry and offers up their services as a valuable repository of technical knowledge and distribution networks from across the country. Learn about how this local company is making waves in the industry and about the types of technologies the dispensaries could employ to create better medicine.

The third article examines the demographics of Hawai‘i’s current patient population and focuses on ways that the industry can reach out and incorporate its largest demographic – Seniors. Dispensaries, ancillary businesses, and patients alike will learn about this important element of the cannabis industry in Hawai‘i and potential ways to get involved.

Next is an article by local lawyer and money laundering regulations expert Stephen Pingree. He discusses the reticence of banks to accept accounts from businesses related to the marijuana industry and provides the outline for how businesses should approach the banking system in the future to maximize their chances of creating a positive relationship. Stephen and the HDA will be leading an in-depth seminar on this topic later in the year, let us know what specifics you would like to see addressed at the seminar!

The next article was written to provide the industry and the public with the information necessary to draw their own conclusions about the various paths dispensaries might pursue in obtaining their initial stock of marijuana plants. This article sets out the relevant state statutes and case law, and draws preliminary conclusions, so that the industry can make its own decisions about how to proceed.

Finally, in this Edition’s keystone article, the Alliance is pleased to provide the industry with the facts and arguments it needs to begin to break down the stigmatization that haunts the industry. Addressing issues of children’s access to marijuana, drugged driving, crime rates, and economic development, this article details the facts we have learned about the introduction of medical marijuana programs in other states and projects a positive future for Hawai‘i.

It is the Alliance’s mission to provide up-to-date and relevant industry information to the patients, dispensary applicants, and related businesses of Hawai‘i’s growing medicinal cannabis industry.  If you are not yet an Alliance member, join today to receive the HDA Industry Update every month and to take an active role in the future of Hawai‘i’s medical marijuana industry.  Contact us today and we will send you the April 2016 edition of the newsletter absolutely free to say thank you for your interest! You can also find us on Facebook or Twitter.

HDA Releases August 2016 Industry Update