Hawaii: The first medical cannabis dispensary opens its doors

Legal dispensary sales of medical cannabis begin this Tuesday, August 9, 2017 in Hawaii. The state had reaped his first cannabis crop last May.

This news comes just after the Department of Health and Energy approved the first laboratory dedicated to medicinal cannabis on July 31. Steff Hill Hawaii, based in Honolulu.

The company Maui Grown Therapies which has received approval from the Hawaii Department of Health to sell medical cannabis as of today. The Maui dispensary already has pre-registered patients and is starting to sell medical cannabis by appointment only for the time being.

Green Light for Hawaii

Teri Freitas Gorman, Director of Community and Patient Relations, is delighted: «Obviously, this is a historic day, not just for Maui but for the whole state of Hawaii. This is the first time ever that Hawaiian patients will be able to get lab-tested, certified-quality medicinal cannabis that comes from a licensed dispensary. We're very excited.»

Dr. Virginia Pressler, Director of Health Care, explains in a statement to the local newspaper, «This is an important day for Maui patients and caregivers who now have the assurance that the medical cannabis they purchase from Maui Grown Therapies has been carefully tested and safe.».

The dispensary can only sell dried cannabis buds. The state will not sell cannabis products such as oils, as Hawaii's only certification laboratory has yet to receive documentation to certify manufactured products.

In Hawaii, the use of cannabis for medicinal purposes is permitted. legalized since June 15, 2000, and overseen by the Hawaii Department of Health, which is responsible for administering the medical cannabis program. Hawaiian patients have been waiting 17 years to buy legal cannabis.

the state hadn't legalized dispensaries until 2015, except that the products weren't verified or laboratory-tested. On the other hand, this didn't stop patients from growing their own medical cannabis.

Mehdi Bautier