In Hawaii, two Senate committees are advancing a modified medical cannabis bill. This new law would let healthcare providers recommend marijuana to patients for “appropriate conditions” rather than only those who meet a list of ailments.
Hawaii’s Govenor has in the past floated expanding medical marijuana access, while recreational cannabis bills failed to make it to his desk.
Both the Senate Committee on Health and Human Services and Committee on Commerce and Consumer Protection have approved the medical marijuana measure, HB302, from Rep. Gregg Takayama. In an earlier form, it has already been approved by the House of Representatives.
The proposal, as introduced, would clarify that, under state law a recommendation for medical marijuana would not need to come from a physician who has conducted an “initial in-person consult” with the patient.
The panels made a few changes before the votes on Wednesday, but one of them was to change the “debilitating condition” definition in the section of the law that deals with qualifying conditions. It now means “any condition as determined by the certifying doctor or [advanced practice registered nurse] Cannabis for medicinal use is appropriate.”
It would be a way to give patients access who may have medical conditions and could use marijuana, but have not been recognized as such by the state.
Karen O’Keefe told the panel at the hearing, in her testimony, that the director of state policy for the advocacy group Marijuana Policy Project “providers could prescribe much more dangerous medication off-label.”
One in five prescriptions in the U.S. is “off-label”, which means that it’s for an illness other than what the FDA approved. [Food and Drug Administration]She said. In at least 10 other states, doctors can recommend medical marijuana for all serious or other diseases. Please follow their example.
Hawaii passed a law legalizing medical marijuana in its state legislature. This was done by the Hawaii State Legislature.
Joy San Buenaventura, D-Sen. and Chair of the Health and Human Services Committee explained other changes made to the revised version.
She said, “I have had an offline conversation with the dispensaries. I have noticed that their amended proposals were not updated in their written testimonials. I am going to need to do a detailed recitation about what will happen,” she started.
A change in the law would permit certain conditions for sales between dispensaries to be made of cannabis or cannabis products. One change would permit dispensary wait rooms to sell hemp and medical cannabis accessories, as well as marijuana products.
The amended proposal was not voted down by any of the members who attended the hearing on Wednesday.
It is part of a larger plan by the Governor announced last year to give healthcare providers more freedom to prescribe medical marijuana to their patients. Josh Green’s (D) plan to increase access to cannabis is in response to the failure of lawmakers to pass measures legalizing recreational marijuana.
“This would make it very available—that’s marijuana—for those who choose it in their lives,” the governor said in an interview, “and it would still keep kids safe, which has been everyone’s priority.”
Green reaffirmed his commitment to full recreational legalization.
He added: “I’m in favor of legalizing marijuana for those adults that can use it responsibly.”
In Hawaii last week, the House Health Committee passed and amended a Senate approved bill that supports clinical research into psychedelic assisted therapies using substances like psilocybin or MDMA. Panelists adopted the Office of Wellness and Resilience’s suggestions for a few changes, including replacing a fund with a pilot two-year program.
Separately last month, the Senate narrowly defeated another proposal which would have allowed a person to possess five times as much cannabis without the risk of being charged with a crime. If the bill had become law, the amount of marijuana decriminalized by Hawaii would have been increased from 3 grams to 15 grams. The possession of up to 15 grams of marijuana would be considered a civil offense punishable with a $130 fine.
In January, the House Committee on Labor unanimously approved legislation to protect medical marijuana patients registered with their state from workplace discrimination. This bill (HB 325) hasn’t yet been considered by the Senate.
A Senate bill which would have allowed marijuana to be used by adults for recreational purposes has recently been stalled. SB 1613 had not yet been passed out of the current committee, despite an expiration date last month.
While advocates feel there’s sufficient support for the legalization proposal in the Senate, it’s widely believed that House lawmakers would ultimately scuttle the measure, as they did lasts month with a legalization companion bill, HB 1246.
Last session, a Senate-passed legalization bill also fizzled out in the House.
This past fall, regulators solicited proposals to assess the state’s current medical marijuana program—and also sought to estimate demand for recreational sales if the state eventually moves forward with adult-use legalization. The move was interpreted by some as an indication that the regulators were preparing for a possible reform.
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