STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2703

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 2787

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 S.B. No. 2787 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 authorize the Department of Health to issue:

(1) Permits to medical cannabis dispensaries for the delivery of medical cannabis and manufactured cannabis products to qualifying patients or primary caregivers under certain conditions; and

(2) Medical cannabis transporter licenses in specific situations.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Hawai‘i Cannabis Industry Association, Big Island Grown Dispensaries, Kush Hawaii, The Drug Policy Forum of Hawai‘i, and five individuals. Your Committee received testimony in opposition to this measure from PATIENTS WITHOUT TIME and one individual. Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Department of the Attorney General, Department of Health, and Akamai Cannabis Clinic.

Your Committee finds that in 2015, Hawaii established a licensing scheme for a statewide system of medical cannabis dispensaries to ensure access to medical cannabis for qualifying patients. However, since the establishment of medical cannabis dispensaries, some qualifying patients and primary caregivers continue to have difficulty physically getting to a retail dispensing location due to transportation issues, their physical disability and pain, or geographic distance. This measure provides for a safe, secure, and transparent system for qualifying patients and primary caregivers to have medical cannabis and manufactured cannabis products delivered to their homes.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Inserting language that requires a dispensary with a valid medical cannabis delivery permit to track the medical cannabis or manufactured cannabis products being delivered on its computer software tracking system;

(2) Inserting language to require medical cannabis transporter licensees to follow the tracking requirements, among other requirements, for the delivery of medical cannabis or manufactured cannabis products;

(3) Inserting language to include medical cannabis transporter licensees to the list of persons requiring background checks; and

(4) 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 S.B. No. 2787, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2787, 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