STAND. COM. REP. NO.  162

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2017

RE:   H.B. No. 836

      H.D. 1

Honorable Joseph M. Souki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Ninth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2017

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Health, to which was referred H.B. No. 836 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO MARIJUANA,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to authorize the interisland transportation of medical marijuana by qualifying patients and primary caregivers for the purpose of obtaining laboratory testing.  This measure also authorizes certified laboratories to accept medical marijuana for testing directly from qualified patients and primary caregivers.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from Hawaii Educational Association for Licensed Therapeutic Healthcare, Drug Policy Forum of Hawai‘i, Hawai‘i Dispensary Alliance, NuWayve Unlimited, Drug Policy Action Group, and several individuals.  Your Committee received testimony in opposition to this measure from the Department of Health and Department of Transportation.  The Department of the Attorney General, Hawaii Veteran's Cannabis Alliance, and an individual submitted comments.

     Your Committee has amended this measure by:

     (1)  Deleting all language related to testing of medical marijuana and manufactured marijuana products;

     (2)  Authorizing, rather than requiring, the Department of Transportation to adopt rules for the interisland transportation of medical marijuana;

     (3)  Specifying any adoption of rules related to the interisland transportation of medical marijuana by the Departments of Transportation and Health shall be subject to chapter 91, Hawaii Revised Statutes, the Administrative Procedures Act;

     (4)  Changing its effective date to July 1, 2090, to encourage further discussion; and

     (5)  Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purpose of clarity and consistency.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Health that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 836, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 836, H.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Transportation.

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

____________________________

DELLA AU BELATTI, Chair