DOH Selects Medical Marijuana Dispensary Applicants Hawaiian Ethos LLC, Lau Ola LLC

California State University file image.

The Big Island’s Hawaiian Ethos LLC and Lau Ola LLC have been selected by the Hawai’i Department of Health as two of eight applicants to receive Medical Marijuana Dispensary Licenses statewide.

Under Chapter 329D, Hawai’i Revises Statues, eight licenses were awarded, including three for the City and County of Honolulu, two each for Hawai’i and Maui Counties, and one for the County of Kauai.

In Maui County, Maui Wellness Group, LLC, and Pono Life Sciences Maui, LLC were selected for licenses.

Aloha Green Holiding Inc., Manoa Botanicals LLC, and TCG Retro Marker 1, LLC dba Cure Oahu were selected for the City and County of Honolulu.

On Kauai, Green Aloha, Ltd. was the selected applicant.

Selected applicants are still required to pay a licensing fee of $75,000 to DOH. The fee must come in within seven days of receiving written notice of their selection. Applicants selected who do not comply with the requirement will be disqualified and the next highest scoring applicant for the county will be selected.

DOH officials said during a press conference Friday morning that the department anticipates making the scoring public via the DOH website within the next couple of weeks.

“Upon the completion of the selection process and the awarding of licenses, the Department of Health will begin working with the selected licensees to ensure the safety of their products, and the safety of patients and the public,” said State Health Director Dr. Virginia Pressler. “We look forward to improving access to marijuana for registered patients who have medical needs, and increasing educational opportunities for healthcare professionals.”

Over 60 applications were received by the applicant deadline in January. A review and selection process led up to a four-member selection panel that reviewed and scored the applications based on set criteria.

A dispensary licensee, pursuant to Chapter 329D, HRS, may begin dispensing marijuana no sooner than July 15, 2016, with the DOH’s approval. DOH’s Keith Ridley said during the press conference that the DOH would be careful throughout the process and that dispensaries who do not meet all the necessary criteria will not be give DOH’s final approval.

Each dispensary licensee may operate up to two production centers and two retail dispensing locations within the county they are licensed to serve.

“There are many steps the dispensaries will need to take in order to actually start production and dispensing, so we can’t say exactly when the dispensing will begin,” said Margaret Leong, Supervisor for the Medical Marijuana Dispensary Licensing Program. “But we are excited to start working with the selected licensees on the next steps.”