This morning the Act 230 Medical Marijuana Legislative Oversight Working Group publicly released the list of topics the Working Group could explore in the coming months. This list compiles all of the ideas for consideration generated at the last meeting of the Working Group, in no particular order. The Working Group will use this list to determine priorities for the Working Group to investigate via subcommittee in the coming months.
Alliance members, and members of the public, should email the Alliance at info@hawaiidispensaryalliance.org to let us know which of these issues matter to you and in what order we should prioritize the Working Group’s attention. For more information about each issue and the discussion surrounding it to date, check out the HDA’s more detailed recap of the last Working Group meeting.
1. Patient Issues
- Speeding up/improving the patient application and certification process;
- Prioritizing the most needy;
- Reviewing and/or updating the qualifying conditions;
- Patient comfort & safety in the dispensaries (physical design)
2. Caregiver Issues
- Need to revisit/amend 2018 caregiver cultivation prohibition;
- Understanding and developing recommendations around “card stacking”
3. Education
- Physician/APRN education;
- Patient education;
- Industry training for staff employed by dispensaries;
- General public education;
- Identify partnerships (ie. Cancer Consortium, medical associations) to encourage greater public education.
4. Marketing & Advertising Issues
- Examine current law for standards & prohibitions against advertising;
- Consider how statute may be changed to allow for advertising;
- Review how advertising & mail through US Postal service is allowed for hemp products
5. Product
- Expanding products to include edibles;
- Consider advertising & packaging concerns related to edibles;
- Expanding sales to include seeds and clones;
- Expanding products to include medical devices & other consumer products
6. Department of Health Organizational Issues
- Capacity;
- Organizational structure;
- Staffing, resources, & budget
7. Research Needs
- Medical and agricultural research;
- Growing and processing;
- Product research;
- Gathering data from other states;
- Social science research (understanding attitudes, beliefs, perceptions);
- Integrating/encouraging UH to engage in research
8. Labs
- Identifying best practices & testing standards adopted in other states;
- Ensuring safety testing & certification consistency
9. Reciprocity
- Identifying issues for implementing reciprocity;
- Recommendations for implementing reciprocity
10. Transportation/Accessibility Issues
- Delivery options for patients;
- Interisland transportation of medical marijuana beyond limited lab exception
11. Banking options and solutions
12. Dispensary License Issues
- Revisit horizontal vs. vertical production-distribution model;
- As data collected, identify whether there is need to add licenses
The next meeting of the Working Group is open to the public to attend and is scheduled for November 9, 2016, at 1:00-3:00 pm, at the State Capitol, Rm 325.
As the Working Group begins to address each issue we will ask again for direction to relevant resources and your opinions about each priority. So stay tuned, because we want to know what you think! Email us at info@hawaiidispensaryalliance.org if you have any suggestions or comments, find us on Facebook, Contact Us through this website, or give us a call anytime. You are invited to be as broad or specific with your submissions as possible.
Mahalo nui for your continued support as we build a better future for Hawai‘i’s legitimate cannabis industry!
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 August 2016 edition of the HDA Industry Update absolutely free to say thank you for your interest!