STAND. COM. REP. NO. 919-18

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2018

RE: H.B. No. 2729

H.D. 2

Honorable Scott K. Saiki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Ninth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2018

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Finance, to which was referred H.B. No. 2729, H.D. 2, entitled:

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

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to amend regulatory statutes and operational requirements for the medical cannabis dispensary system by:

(1) Extending the maximum period of validity of a qualifying patient's written certification of a debilitating medical condition;

(2) Allowing the Department of Health to provide a dispensary with the opportunity for retesting a failed batch of medical cannabis;

(3) Adding certain devices that provide safe pulmonary administration to the list of medical cannabis products that may be manufactured and distributed;

(4) Increasing the tetrahydrocannabinol limit per pack or container of multiple dose manufactured cannabis products; and

(5) Amending the reciprocity program, whereby qualifying patients from other jurisdictions may purchase limited quantities of cannabis for medical use, subject to certain safeguards, reporting and transparency measures, and payment of a visiting patient certifying fee.

Kush Bottles Hawaii, Oahu County Committee on Legislative Priorities of the Democratic Party of Hawaii, Maui Grown Therapies, and Hawaii Education Association for Licensed Therapeutic Healthcare supported this measure. The Department of Health, Department of the Attorney General, Noa Botanicals, and Drug Policy Forum of Hawai‘i provided comments.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Finance that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 2729, H.D. 2, and recommends that it pass Third Reading.

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

____________________________

SYLVIA LUKE, Chair