State lawmakers mull bill to clarify medical cannabis rules

HONOLULU — With less than a week to go before the state is scheduled to announce the names of the its first medical marijuana dispensary owners, lawmakers are considering a bill to clarify gaps in the dispensary law passed last year.

State lawmakers discussed a bill during a hearing Monday that would clear up tax problems and give certain nurses the ability to recommend medical marijuana for patients. It also would allow for interisland transport of medical marijuana for laboratory testing and make rules for what kind of marijuana products could be sold in dispensaries.

Marijuana business owners can open pot shops as soon as July 15, but industry experts say they could be confronted with unique challenges in a state comprised of eight separate islands.

Right now, there’s currently a shortage of physicians willing to prescribe medical marijuana, so the component of the bill allowing highly trained nurses could help increase patient access, said Wendy Gibson of the Medical Cannabis Coalition of Hawaii. Only 10 physicians have given her permission to share their contact information with patients, she said.

Under the law passed in 2015, interisland transport of medical marijuana was banned, but all of it is required to be tested in a state-approved laboratory before being sold. Right now, there are no laboratories open in the state, and some worry high startup costs and low patient numbers will prevent laboratories from opening on rural islands.

The bill also would clear up a tax loophole that currently makes dispensaries eligible for tax breaks if they set up in enterprise zones, which were intended to incentivize business investment in areas with low income or high unemployment.

The state Department of Health is currently reviewing dispensary applications and plans to award licenses Friday (April 29).