STAND. COM. REP. NO. 728

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                  

 

RE:    S.B. No. 241

       S.D. 1

 

 

 

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2021

State of Hawaii

 

Sir:

 

     Your Committee on Judiciary, to which was referred S.B. No. 241 entitled:

 

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO MEDICAL CANNABIS,"

 

begs leave to report as follows:

 

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to authorize qualifying patients and qualifying out-of-state patients to transport cannabis between islands of the State for personal medical use.

 

     Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Drug Policy Forum of Hawaii, Community Alliance on Prisons, Hawaii Cannabis Industry Association, Big Island Grown Dispensaries, Hawaii Patients Union, Akamai Cannabis Clinic, and eight individuals.  Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Department of the Attorney General.

 

     Your Committee finds that currently licensed medical cannabis dispensaries are located only on Oahu, Hawaii island, Maui, and Kauai.  Because there are no dispensaries on Molokai, Lānai, and Niihau, qualifying patients living on those islands have less access to legal medical cannabis than qualifying patients residing on other islands.  Your Committee further finds that restricting the interisland transportation of cannabis by patients for their personal medical use is contrary to the intent of State laws authorizing qualifying patients to use medical cannabis.  This measure will protect the rights of qualifying patients to use medical cannabis by specifically authorizing the interisland transportation of cannabis for personal medical use.

 

     Your Committee has amended this measure by inserting an effective date of May 6, 2137, to encourage further discussion.

 

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Judiciary that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 241, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 241, S.D. 1.

 

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Judiciary,

 

 

 

________________________________

KARL RHOADS, Chair