STAND. COM. REP. NO. 3495

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    H.C.R. No. 74

Honorable Donna Mercado Kim

President of the Senate

Twenty-Seventh State Legislature

Regular Session of 2014

State of Hawaii

Madam:

     Your Committee on Health, to which was referred H.C.R. No. 74 entitled:

"HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION REQUESTING A SUNRISE REVIEW OF THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A SYSTEM OF REGISTERED DISPENSARIES WITHIN THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH TO DISPENSE MEDICAL MARIJUANA,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to request the Auditor to conduct a sunrise review of the establishment of a system of registered dispensaries within the Department of Health to dispense medical marijuana as proposed in H.B. No. 1587, Regular Session of 2014.

     Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Health and American Civil Liberties Union.  Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Community Alliance on Prisons and Drug Policy Action Group.

     Your Committee finds that establishing a system of registered dispensaries in the State to dispense medical marijuana to qualified patients and primary caregivers is critical to enable patients to access this medicine for their debilitating medical conditions.  Your Committee further finds that the regulation of medical marijuana dispensaries will not only protect qualified patients who need medical marijuana for their health care needs, but will also strengthen and ensure compliance with Hawaii's Medical Use of Marijuana Law.

     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 H.C.R. No. 74, and recommends its adoption.

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

____________________________

JOSH GREEN, Chair