DOH Approves 2nd Medical Marijuana Dispensary on Hawai‘i Island

The Hawai‘i State Department of Health (DOH) has issued a formal notice to proceed to Lau Ola LLC, dba Big Island Grown Dispensaries for its second licensed medical cannabis dispensary retail center after passing its final onsite inspection. The company’s second retail center is located at 64-1040 Māmalahoa Highway in Kamuela.

There are now nine licensed retail dispensary locations operating on O‘ahu, Kaua‘i, Maui and Hawai‘i Island. Big Island Grown Dispensaries opened its first retail location in Hilo earlier this year in January.

“We appreciate the ongoing efforts of licensees to meet Hawai‘i’s rigorous standards while continuing to expand their operations to provide for the needs of registered patients,” said Michele Nakata, supervisor of DOH’s Medical Cannabis Dispensary Licensing Program. “The health department is committed to protecting the safety of patients and the public through the licensing program’s strict security and product quality standards.”

There are more than 24,000 patients and over 1,800 caregivers registered statewide. Nearly 30% of these patients and 20% of the caregivers reside on Hawai‘i Island. As of Jan. 31, 2019, there were approximately 6,814 registered patients and 388 caregivers on Hawai‘i Island. The primary qualifying medical condition reported for adult registered patients is severe pain. The primary reported condition for children under 18 years of age is seizures.

To ensure the highest standards of quality and care, dispensaries are required to comply with all state and county health and safety regulations and are subject to unlimited unannounced DOH inspections.

Each licensed dispensary is an independent business and operates based on their individual business plans. 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 O‘ahu, located at 727 Kapahulu Ave. in Honolulu, which received its notice to proceed on March 16, 2018;
• + GREEN ALOHā Dispensary 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; and
• Noa Botanicals, located at 46-28 Kawa St. in Kaneohe, which received its notice to proceed on Feb. 14, 2019.

Registered patients and caregivers may purchase up to 4 ounces of medical cannabis during a 15-consecutive day period and a maximum of 8 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.

More information on the Medical Cannabis Program is available at http://health.hawaii.gov/medicalcannabis/.