STAND. COM. REP. NO. 752

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2019

RE: H.B. No. 673

H.D. 2

Honorable Scott K. Saiki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirtieth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2019

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Judiciary, to which was referred H.B. No. 673, H.D. 1, entitled:

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

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to:

(1) Allow physician assistants to provide written certification for qualifying patients;

(2) Allow licensed dispensaries to have up to two additional manufacturing or processing facilities separate from their production facilities;

(3) Provide a process for the voluntary or involuntary sale or transfer of an individual dispensary license;

(4) Allow retail dispensaries to operate on state and federal holidays;

(5) Allow a licensed dispensary to purchase medical cannabis or manufactured cannabis products from another licensed dispensary, with Department approval, in the event of a crop failure; and

(6) Allow licensed retail dispensaries to sell edible cannabis and cannabidiol products.

Hawaii Educational Association for Licensed Therapeutic Healthcare, Drug Policy Forum of Hawaii, Community Alliance on Prisons, LGBT Caucus, and four individuals provided testimony in support of this measure. The Office of the Prosecuting Attorney for the County of Hawaii, and two individuals provided testimony in opposition. The Department of the Attorney General, Department of Health, Department of Public Safety, and Akamai Cannabis Clinic provided comments.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Requiring licensees to use their computer tracking system for transportation between a production center or retail dispensing location to a manufacturing or processing facility;

(2) Removing edible cannabis products from the definition of "food" in chapter 328, Hawaii Revised Statutes; and

(3) Requiring facilities to conform with all county zoning and building code requirements.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Judiciary that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 673, H.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it be referred to your Committee on Finance in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 673, H.D. 2.

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

____________________________

CHRIS LEE, Chair