STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2698

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 2488

S.D. 2

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Twenty-Ninth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2018

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Ways and Means, to which was referred S.B. No. 2488, S.D. 1, entitled:

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

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to establish a working group to explore options and make recommendations relating to health insurance reimbursement to qualifying patients for medical cannabis costs.

Your Committee received written comments in support of this measure from Drug Policy Forum of Hawaii; OCC Legislative Priorities Committee, Democratic Party of Hawaii; and one individual.

Your Committee recognizes that Act 230, Session Laws of Hawaii 2016, established a legislative oversight group, which is responsible for developing and recommending legislation to improve the state medical cannabis dispensary system to ensure that qualifying patients have safe and legal access to medical cannabis. Your Committee finds that the establishment of a separate, more narrowly-focused working group to address the complex issues relating to health insurance reimbursement for medical cannabis may be warranted.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Changing the effective date to July 1, 2050, to facilitate further discussion on the measure; and

(2) Making technical nonsubstantive changes for purposes of clarity, consistency, and style.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Ways and Means that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2488, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2488, S.D. 2.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Ways and Means,

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DONOVAN M. DELA CRUZ, Chair