STAND. COM. REP. NO. 33

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2025

RE: H.B. No. 302

H.D. 1

Honorable Nadine K. Nakamura

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2025

State of Hawaii

Madame:

Your Committee on Health, to which was referred H.B. No. 302 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO CANNABIS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to:

(1) Repeal the requirement that a provider-patient relationship be established in person for purposes of obtaining a certification for medical cannabis; and

(2) Allow applicants or primary caregivers to temporarily purchase medical cannabis after the submission of the applicant's certification form.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Hawai‘i Cannabis Industry Association; Aloha Green Apothecary; Cure Oahu; Noa Botanicals; and Big Island Grown Dispensaries. Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Department of the Attorney General; Department of Health; and Akamai Cannabis Consulting.

Your Committee finds that access for qualifying patients and primary caregivers to medical cannabis remains challenging due to limited access to medical providers, delays in obtaining authorizations for access to enter and purchase medical cannabis from licensed medical cannabis dispensaries, and a thriving illicit market. Your Committee further finds that between August 2021 and November 2024, the number of registered card-holding patients in Hawaii decreased by fifteen percent, indicating that qualifying patients are shifting away from licensed medical cannabis dispensaries and instead obtaining their medical cannabis from elsewhere. Your Committee believes that reducing some of the administrative barriers to accessing medical cannabis, as intended by this measure, will support the State's medical cannabis program and encourage qualifying patients to access medical cannabis in a manner that ensures patient safety, product safety, and public safety.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Changing the effective date to July 1, 3000, to encourage further discussion; and

(2) 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 that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 302, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 302, 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,

____________________________

GREGG TAKAYAMA, Chair