STAND. COM. REP. NO.  1322-14

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2014

RE:   H.R. No. 29

      H.D. 1

Honorable Joseph M. Souki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Seventh State Legislature

Regular Session of 2014

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Health, to which was referred H.R. No. 29 entitled:

"HOUSE RESOLUTION REQUESTING THE CONVENING OF A TASK FORCE TO DEVELOP RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A REGULATED STATEWIDE DISPENSARY SYSTEM FOR MEDICAL MARIJUANA,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to request the Department of Health to convene a task force to develop recommendations for the establishment of a regulated statewide dispensary system for medical marijuana to provide safe and legal access for qualified patients to medical marijuana.

The Department of Public Safety, Big Island Chapter of Americans for Safe Access, and three individuals supported this measure.  The Community Alliance on Prisons supported this measure with an amendment.  The Department of Health supported the intent of this measure.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1)  Requesting the Public Policy Center in the College of Social Sciences at the University of Hawaii at Manoa (Public Policy Center), rather than the Department of Health, to convene the Medical Marijuana Dispensary System Task Force (Task Force);

(2)  Assigning the Task Force to the Public Policy Center;

(3)  Adding the following individuals or organizations to the Task Force membership:

(A)  The Director of Taxation, or the Director's designee;

(B)  The Director of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, or the Director's designee;

(C)  The Director of the Public Policy Center, or the Director's designee;

(D)  The Chairperson of the Senate Committee on Health;

(E)  The Chairperson of the House Committee on Health;

(F)  A state senator who is selected by the Senate President to serve on the Task Force;

(G)  A state representative who is selected by the Speaker of the House of Representatives to serve on the Task Force;

(H)  A representative of the Drug Policy Forum of Hawaii; and

(I)  An additional patient participating in Hawaii's Medical Marijuana Program;

(4)  Specifying that of the two patients participating in Hawaii's Medical Marijuana Program and who serve on the Task Force, one patient serving on the Task Force is to be a patient who is over the age of eighteen, and the other patient serving on the Task Force is to be a parent or guardian of a patient who is under the age of ten;

(5)  Clarifying the scope of the 2009 report, "Access, Distribution, and Security Components of State Medical Marijuana Programs," by the Legislative Reference Bureau, to reflect the discussion of policies and procedures for access, distribution, security, and other relevant issues related to the medical use of marijuana in all states that had a medical marijuana program;

(6)  Specifying that the issues specified in the measure are to be addressed by the Task Force, and not by the Legislative Reference Bureau and considered by the Task Force;

(7)  Amending the submittal of information by the Legislative Reference Bureau to the Task Force by September 1, 2014, to specify submittal of an updated report on the policies and procedures for access, distribution, security, and other relevant issues related to the medical use of cannabis in all states that currently have a medical cannabis program;

(8)  Providing that, as part of its report, the Legislative Reference Bureau is requested to examine and include information concerning the policies and procedures adopted by other states relating to the growth and cultivation of medical marijuana and the regulation of medical marijuana dispensaries;

(9)  Clarifying that the Task Force hold at least one public hearing to receive public input on the report received from the Legislative Reference Bureau to the Task Force;

(10) Adding the Director of Taxation, Director of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, Director of the Public Policy Center, and Executive Director of the Drug Policy Forum of Hawaii to the list of individuals receiving certified copies of this measure; and

(11) Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for clarity, consistency, and style.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Health that is attached to this report, your Committee concurs with the intent and purpose of H.R. No. 29, as amended herein, and recommends that it be referred to the Committee on Judiciary in the form attached hereto as H.R. No. 29, H.D. 1.

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

____________________________

DELLA AU BELATTI, Chair