STAND.
COM. REP. NO. 1309
Honolulu, Hawaii
, 2023
RE: S.B. No. 673
S.D. 1
H.D. 1
Honorable Scott K. Saiki
Speaker, House of Representatives
Thirty-Second State Legislature
Regular Session of 2023
State of Hawaii
Sir:
Your Committee on Health & Homelessness, to which was referred S.B. No. 673, S.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 authorize terminally ill patients to use medical cannabis in certain health care facilities, under certain conditions.
Your Committee finds
that terminally ill patients often experience severe pain, loss of appetite,
and nausea, which are all symptoms that can be treated or alleviated through
the medical use of cannabis. However, in
many jurisdictions where medical cannabis is legal, including Hawaii, terminally
ill patients are currently unable to continue taking medical cannabis as part
of their treatment plan while in the hospital, even if they possess a valid registration
card.
Your Committee
recognizes that in response to a need for terminally ill patients to have
access to all appropriate medical treatments, California recently enacted the
Compassionate Access to Medical Cannabis Act, or "Ryan's Law", which
allows terminally ill patients to use medical cannabis for palliative relief
while receiving in-patient care at certain specified types of health care
facilities. Your Committee understands
the merits behind California's law, which is the first of its kind in the
country. However, your Committee finds
that additional discussion of this topic is needed prior to enacting a similar
law in Hawaii.
Accordingly,
your Committee has amended this measure by:
(1) Removing language that authorized terminally
ill patients to use medical cannabis in certain health care facilities, under
certain conditions;
(2) Establishing a Terminally Ill Qualifying
Patient Medical Cannabis Use Working Group to study the feasibility of
permitting terminally ill qualifying patients to safely use medical cannabis
within a health care facility and submit a report to the Legislature;
(3) Changing the effective date to June 30, 3000,
to encourage further discussion; and
(4) Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments
for the purposes of clarity, consistency, and style.
As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Health & Homelessness that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 673, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 673, S.D. 1, H.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Consumer Protection & Commerce.
Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Health & Homelessness,
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____________________________ DELLA AU BELATTI, Chair |
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