STAND. COM. REP. NO. 3477

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: H.B. No. 2097

H.D. 2

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirtieth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2020

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Commerce, Consumer Protection, and Health, to which was referred H.B. No. 2097, H.D. 2, 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:

(1) Allow for a process to remediate any batch of cannabis or manufactured cannabis product that fails laboratory testing standards so long as any final product passes all the laboratory standards;

(2) Authorize licensed dispensaries to manufacture and distribute edible cannabis products under certain conditions; and

(3) Authorize licensed dispensaries to circulate, sponsor, and promote educational and scientific information and events related to cannabis.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from Aloha Green Holdings Inc., Kush Bottles Hawaii, Hawai‘i Cannabis Industry Association, The Drug Policy Forum of Hawai‘i, and one individual. Your Committee received testimony in opposition to this measure from the Department of Transportation, Honolulu Police Department, Maui Police Department, and one individual. Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Department of Health.

Your Committee finds that the regulated statewide dispensary system for medical cannabis was established on July 14, 2015, as Act 241, Session Laws of Hawaii 2015, to ensure safe and legal access to medical cannabis of qualifying patients. Since then, the experience of the program indicates that improvements to the law will help to clarify its original intent by ensuring smooth administration of the law and allowing for adequate patient access based on experiences in other states.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Specifying that the Department of Health consider processes that may allow cannabis or manufactured cannabis products that fail testing standards to be remediated;

(2) Clarifying the definition of "edible cannabis products";

(3) Authorizing the Department of Health to regulate and approve any manufactured medical cannabis products, including establishing rules related to child-resistant packaging and labeling;

(4) Authorizing the Department of Health to allow licensed dispensaries to disseminate educational and scientific materials relating to medical cannabis and sponsor events about medical cannabis; and

(5) Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity and consistency.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Commerce, Consumer Protection, and Health that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 2097, H.D. 2, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 2097, H.D. 2, S.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Judiciary.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Commerce, Consumer Protection, and Health,

________________________________

ROSALYN H. BAKER, Chair