STAND. COM. REP. NO. 255-18

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2018

RE: H.B. No. 2664

H.D. 1

Honorable Scott K. Saiki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Ninth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2018

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Health & Human Services, to which was referred H.B. No. 2664 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO MEDICAL CANNABIS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to:

(1) Require the counties to establish a medical cannabis collectives registration system for regulating and taxing the distribution of medical cannabis;

(2) Allow primary caregivers and qualifying patients to assert the medical use of cannabis as a defense rather than an affirmative defense under the medical use of cannabis law;

(3) Allow qualifying patients to transfer medical cannabis between themselves; and

(4) Appropriate funds to the counties to establish and administer medical cannabis collectives.

The Oahu County Committee on Legislative Priorities of the Democratic Party of Hawaii; Effective Change, LLC; Drug Policy Forum of Hawaii; Aloha Hi-Fi; Alternative Pain Management Pu‘uhonua; and several individuals testified in support of this measure. The Honolulu Police Department and one individual testified in opposition. The Department of the Attorney General and two individuals provided comments.

The Department of the Attorney General suggested:

(1) Establishing criteria for the regulation and taxation of medical cannabis collectives; and

(2) Amending language under the defense of the medical use of cannabis to reflect language used in the Penal Code.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Changing its effective date to July 1, 3000, to facilitate further discussion; and

(2) Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for clarity, consistency, and style.

Your Committee believes that a more appropriate mechanism for addressing the issues in this measure is a study.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Health & Human Services that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 2664, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 2664, H.D. 1, and be referred to your Committees on Consumer Protection & Commerce and Judiciary.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Health & Human Services,

____________________________

JOHN M. MIZUNO, Chair