Pre-rolled cannabis flowers added as approved medical marijuana product

Gov. Josh Green has approved an amended rule to add pre-rolled cannabis flower products, also known as “pre-rolls,” to what may be produced and dispensed at licensed medical cannabis dispensaries in Hawaiʻi. The new rules go into effect April 5.

The addition of pre-rolls to the list of allowed products will benefit medical cannabis patients with limited manual dexterity and for whom inhalation is the most effective route of delivery, according to an announcement from the Department of Health. However, because many of the same cancer-causing compounds in tobacco smoke are also found in burning cannabis, smoking of cannabis is harmful. A safer alternative is using a vaporizer.

Patients also have access to other manufactured cannabis products, including edible products, ointments and lotions, through the 24 licensed dispensary retail locations
across the state.

With the aim of protecting the health and safety of medical cannabis patients and the public, the amendments specify manufacturing standards for pre-rolls, the Health Department said. No other ingredients, including kief, hashish or any other concentrate, may be added to the pre-rolls. The rolling paper and filters must also be plain and unbleached. Furthermore, the
amendments establish that tobacco may not be used as an ingredient in any manufactured cannabis product.

While the benefit of inhaling cannabis may exceed the harm associated with smoking for some patients, smoking of cannabis negatively impacts the health of the public and Hawaiʻi’s Smoke-Free Laws apply directly to smoking or vaping cannabis, whether medicinal or not, according to the Health Department. Secondhand smoke is harmful, and cannabis should never be smoked near infants, children, or pregnant women.

For more information on medical cannabis or the program’s services and activities, call 808-733-2177 or visit https://health.hawaii.gov/medicalcannabis/.