Medical Marijuana on Maui: Talking Law with David Sereno

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Hawai‘i’s Medical Marijuana Registry Program was signed into law in 2000, making Hawaii the first state to legalize medical-use cannabis via the legislature, as opposed to voter initiative.

In 2015, Hawai‘i created the Medical Marijuana Dispensary Program, which gives permitted patients places to buy their cannabis. The program is administered by the state Department of Health, which will monitor the quality of products from seed to sale, and states its goals to “ensure medical marijuana is accessible for Hawaii’s patients, while making patient safety and public safety its ultimate priorities.”

According to The Medical Cannabis Coalition of Hawai‘i (MCCHI), while provisions in the law do not affect patients’ rights to grow their own medical marijuana, many caregivers will have to stop growing it by December 31, 2018.  Until this time, caregivers can continue to cultivate for the patients they provide for. Learn more details, including which caregivers are except from the phaseout, at the MCCHI website.

Now that medical marijuana dispensaries are officially coming to Maui, what does it mean for patients, growers and others?  In this video, attorney-at-law David Sereno sits down with Maui Now’s Kiaora Bohlool to share details, including a rule effective in 2018 that will affect those who grow the medicine.