STAND. COM. REP. NO. 635

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.B. No. 174

       S.D. 2

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Twenty-Ninth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2017

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Judiciary and Labor, to which was referred S.B. No. 174, S.D. 1, entitled:

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

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to amend the definition of "debilitating medical condition" to include lupus, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, arthritis, and autism as conditions that qualify for the legal use of medical marijuana.

     Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Drug Policy Forum of Hawaii; Epic-Interventions LLC; Hawai‘i Dispensary Alliance; Hawaii Educational Association for Licensed Therapeutic Healthcare; Honolulu Wellness Center; Maui Grown Therapies; Patients Without Time; We Are One, Inc.; and twenty-six individuals.  Your Committee received testimony in opposition to this measure from the Department of Health, District 41 of the Hawaii Republican Party, and two individuals.  Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Department of the Attorney General and one individual.

     Your Committee finds that Hawaii authorized the use of medical marijuana in 2000, and at the time was one of the first states nationwide to do so.  Since 2000, the only condition that has been added to the list of debilitating medical conditions is post-traumatic stress disorder, which was added in 2015.  The policy movement of some states toward the medical use of marijuana has afforded patients more options when deciding how to treat and manage their health conditions and illnesses.  However, the list of qualifying conditions in Hawaii remains limited compared to other states across the country.  Accordingly, this measure amends the definition of "debilitating medical condition" to specify additional conditions that qualify for the legal use of medical marijuana to provide Hawaii patients more treatment options.

     Your Committee has amended this measure by inserting an effective date of January 7, 2059, to encourage further discussion.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Judiciary and Labor that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 174, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 174, S.D. 2.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Judiciary and Labor,

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GILBERT S.C. KEITH-AGARAN, Chair