STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1393

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2005

RE: S.C.R. No. 197

S.D. 1

 

 

Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2005

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Health, to which was referred S.C.R. No. 197 entitled:

"SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION REQUESTING THE LEGISLATIVE REFERENCE BUREAU TO CONDUCT A STUDY ON THE APPROPRIATE PLACEMENT OF THE MEDICAL MARIJUANA PROGRAM,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to conduct a study of the placement of the State's medical marijuana program and to determine whether it would be more appropriately placed in the Department of Health.

The Women's Coalition, the Drug Policy Action Group, the Drug Policy Forum of Hawaii, and two individuals submitted testimony in support of this measure. The Legislative Reference Bureau submitted comments.

The Legislative Reference Bureau raised concerns about whether a study would resolve conflicts between the Department of Health and the Department of Public Safety regarding the appropriate placement of the program. It also noted the lack of information available on the Department of Public Safety's website. Your Committee finds that convening a medical marijuana working group comprised of representatives from the respective state agencies and relevant stakeholders, rather than a study, will encourage compromise and better advance the dissemination of information on the Department of Public Safety's website.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Removing provisions requesting that the Legislative Reference Bureau conduct a study and instead requesting the Director of Health to convene a medical marijuana working group to make recommendations to improve Hawaii's Medical Marijuana Program;

(2) Deleting the last four "whereas" clauses on protocols and evaluation;

(3) Requesting that the Director include representatives from the Department of Public Safety, Department of Health, the Drug Policy Forum of Hawaii, and a registered qualifying patient currently in the Medical Marijuana Program; and

(4) Requesting the working group to:

(A) Assist the Department of Public Safety with the website;

(B) Review the operation of the Medical Marijuana Program and recommend ways to better and more effectively focus on the medical mission of the program; and

(C) Recommend in which state department the program should be placed.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Health that is attached to this report, your Committee concurs with the intent and purpose of S.C.R. No. 197, as amended herein, and recommends that it be referred to the Committee on Judiciary and Hawaiian Affairs, in the form attached hereto as S.C.R. No. 197, S.D. 1.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Health,

____________________________

ROSALYN H. BAKER, Chair