STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2498

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 3356

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2022

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Health, to which was referred S.B. No. 3356 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO CANNABIS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to authorize the Department of Health to approve in-vehicle receipt of medical cannabis and medical cannabis products on or near the premises of dispensaries under certain conditions.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Health, Hawai‘i Cannabis Industry Association, Marijuana Policy Project, Maui Grown Therapies, and one individual. Your Committee received testimony in opposition to this measure from one individual.

Your Committee finds that existing medical cannabis laws require that dispensing of medical cannabis occur inside the dispensary's retail store. The coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic presented complications regarding this requirement, because medical cannabis patients can be immunocompromised or have diagnosed anxiety. This measure allows the Department of Health to approve in-vehicle receipt of medical cannabis on the dispensaries' premises.

Your Committee acknowledges the testimony of the Department of Health, which requests that the authorization to approve in-vehicle receipt of medical cannabis to be accomplished by administrative rules rather than statute so that the Department may have administrative flexibility.

Accordingly, your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Deleting the statutory authorization and conditions authorizing in-vehicle receipt of medical cannabis and instead authorizing the Department of Health to promulgate rules governing in-vehicle receipt of medical cannabis; and

(2) Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity and consistency.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Health that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 3356, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 3356, S.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Judiciary.

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

________________________________

JARRETT KEOHOKALOLE, Chair