STAND. COM. REP. NO. 653

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 1429

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2025

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committees on Health and Human Services and Commerce and Consumer Protection, to which was referred S.B. No. 1429 entitled:

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

beg leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to, beginning January 1, 2025:

(1) Retroactively repeal the sunset date of the authorization for primary caregivers to cultivate medical cannabis for their qualifying patients; and

(2) Clarify that each location used to cultivate cannabis can be used to cultivate cannabis for not more than five qualifying patients.

Your Committees received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Health; Aloha Green Holdings Inc.; Big Island Grown; and one individual.

Your Committees received comments on this measure from Akamai Cannabis Consulting and Drug Policy Forum of Hawaii.

Your Committees find that access to medicine for medical cannabis patients includes the ability to cultivate cannabis in a lawful, safe, and patient-focused approach by the patients themselves or their designated primary caregivers. Your Committees further find that the ability for primary caregivers to cultivate cannabis becomes crucial when the patients are unable to cultivate medical cannabis on their own due to debilitating medical conditions, mobility impairment that make tending to plants difficult or impossible, or restrictions on cultivation at their place of residence. This measure will ensure that qualifying patients will continue to have consistent and reliable access to medical cannabis.

Your Committees have amended this measure by:

(1) Inserting language to increase the number of patients a primary caregiver is authorized to care for from one to five patients;

(2) Inserting language to extend the effective date of interim rules adopted by the Department of Health pursuant to section 329D-27, Hawaii Revised Statutes, to July 1, 2027;

(3) Inserting language to amend Act 241, Session Laws of Hawaii 2015, to extend the sunset date for the exemption of personnel hired and contracts entered into by the Department of Health from civil service to June 30,2027;

(4) Inserting an effective date of December 31, 2050, to encourage further discussion; and

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

As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Health and Human Services and Commerce and Consumer Protection that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 1429, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 1429, S.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Judiciary.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Health and Human Services and Commerce and Consumer Protection,

________________________________ JARRETT KEOHOKALOLE, Chair

________________________________ JOY A. SAN BUENAVENTURA, Chair