Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2003

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committees on Human Services and Housing and Health, to which was referred H.C.R. No. 212 entitled:

beg leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this concurrent resolution is to request the Department of Health to review existing policies and procedures and work with the department of psychiatry at the University of Hawaii School of Medicine to improve access to mental health services by Medicaid and Hawaii QUEST participants.

Your Committee circulated a proposed draft that added to this concurrent resolution the contents of H.R. No. 122, requesting the Legislative Reference Bureau to study the provisions of the Medical Marijuana law.

Your Committee finds that since the adoption of the Medical Marijuana law in 2000, concerns have been raised about its provisions and its implementation. The concerns are not one-sided; some advocates see the law as too stringent, and others see it as not stringent enough. After three years, your Committee finds that a dispassionate policy review of the law is necessary to look at these and other community concerns to determine the impact of the law.

Your Committee has amended the proposed H.D. 1 to delete Part I, relating to Department of Health's review of improved access to mental health services. Your Committee has further amended the proposed H.D. 1 and has changed the title to reflect that change to include an amendment suggested by the Legislative Reference Bureau that would request state and county health and law enforcement agencies to cooperate with the Bureau and provide it with relevant data and information.

As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Human Services and Housing and Health that are attached to this report, your Committees concur with the intent and purpose of H.C.R. No. 212, as amended herein, and recommend that it be referred to the Committee on Higher Education, in the form attached hereto as H.C.R. No. 212, H.D. 1.