Hawaiian Ethos to Begin Sales of Med Cannabis on Big Island

The Hawai‘i State Department of Health has issued a formal notice to proceed to Hawaiian Ethos LLC after the Hawai‘i Island dispensary completed laboratory testing requirements and passed the final onsite inspection of its retail facility.

Hawaiian Ethos is the eighth and final licensed medical cannabis dispensary in the state to receive approval to begin sales of medical cannabis to registered patients and their caregivers.

The licensed retail center for Hawaiian Ethos, located at 73-5613 Olowalu Street in Kailua-Kona on Hawai‘i Island, is the state’s tenth licensed retail center.

The dispensary expects to begin with sales at its opening event on June 30, 2019, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The company is also planning for an additional retail center in Hilo.

“A medical cannabis dispensary in Kailua-Kona will provide safe access to registered patients in West Hawai‘i who have been patiently awaiting this option for their medical needs,” said Michele Nakata, medical cannabis program supervisor. “The DOH medical cannabis dispensary program continues to work closely and collaboratively with the state’s licensees to ensure patient safety, product safety, and public safety.”

“We are really looking forward to serving our community,” said Diana Hahn, Hawaiian Ethos communication director. “While it’s taken longer than we had hoped to get to this point, we’ve used the extra time to learn about local patients’ needs and have integrated what they want into what we do. Our medicine is sun-grown and sustainably packaged with minimal plastic. Along with traditional products, we are offering unique controlled dose and microdose options that are not inhaled.”

Hahn added, “Our goal is to partner with patients to create a medical cannabis program that really works for them. The first step towards that end is treating people with respect, and really listening to what they have to share. Hawaiian Ethos has created a personalized medicine app called Talk Medicine™ that helps patients figure out what works for them, while also providing feedback so we can keep advancing cannabis medicine.”

As of May 31, there were approximately 7,572 registered patients and 433 caregivers on Hawai‘i Island of the total 26,125 patients and 1,986 caregivers registered statewide. The primary reported condition for adult registered patients is severe pain. The primary reported conditions for children under 18 years of age are seizures and severe pain.

Hawai‘i Revised Statutes Chapter 329D and Hawai‘i Administrative Rules Chapter 11-850 govern the rigorous dispensary approval process to open and begin selling medical cannabis. To ensure the highest standards of quality and care, dispensaries are required to comply with all state and county health and safety regulations. Dispensaries are subject to unannounced inspections by DOH.

The other licensed retail centers operating in the state include:

Maui Grown Therapies, located at 44 Pa‘a St. in Kahului, Maui, which received a notice to proceed on Aug. 8, 2017;

Aloha Green, in the Interstate Building at 1314 South King St. in Honolulu, which received its notice to proceed on Aug. 9, 2017;

Pono Life Sciences Maui LLC, at 415 Dairy Road in Kahului, Maui, which received its notice to proceed on Sept. 29, 2017;

Noa Botanicals, located at 1308 Young St. in Honolulu, which received its notice to proceed on Oct. 9, 2017;

Cure Oahu, located at 727 Kapahulu Ave. in Honolulu, which received its notice to proceed on March 16, 2018; and

Have A Heart at 4-1565 Kuhio Highway in Kapa‘a, Kaua‘i, which received its notice to proceed on May 18, 2018.

Big Island Grown Dispensaries, located at 750 Kanoelehua Ave., Suite 104, in Hilo, Hawai‘i, which received its notice to proceed on Jan. 15, 2019.

Noa Botanicals, located at 46-028 Kawa St. in Kaneohe, which received its notice to proceed on Feb. 13, 2019;

Big Island Grown Dispensaries, located at 64-1040 Māmalahoa Highway in Kamuela, Hawai‘i, which received its notice to proceed on March 7, 2019.

Registered patients and their caregivers may purchase up to four ounces of medical cannabis during a 15-consecutive day period and purchase a maximum of eight ounces over a 30-consecutive day period. When bringing medical cannabis home after purchasing it from a dispensary, the medical cannabis must be in a sealed container and not visible to the public.

All use of medical cannabis must be on private property and may not be used in a car while on the road, at work, at the beach, on hiking trails, or in any other public space. It is illegal to use or possess medical cannabis on any federally owned property such as military installations and national parks.

There are eight medical cannabis licensees in Hawai‘i. Three are on O‘ahu: Aloha Green Holdings Inc.; Mānoa Botanicals LLC dba Noa Botanicals; and TCG Retro Market 1, LLC dba Cure Oahu. Two are in Hawai‘i County: Hawaiian Ethos LLC and Lau Ola LLC, dba Big Island Grown Dispensaries. The two Maui licensees are Maui Wellness Group, LLC dba Maui Grown Therapies; and Pono Life Sciences Maui, LLC. The one Kaua‘i licensee is Green Aloha, Ltd. dba Have A Heart. Each licensed dispensary is an independent business and operates based on their individual business plans.

More information on the Medical Cannabis Dispensary Program is available online.