KAILUA-KONA — The Hawaii Department of Health has issued a formal notice to proceed to Lau Ola LLC, dba Big Island Grown Dispensaries, for its second licensed medical cannabis dispensary retail center after passing its final onsite inspection.
The company’s second retail center is located at 64-1040 Mamalahoa Highway in Waimea.
There are now nine licensed retail dispensary locations operating on Oahu, Kauai, Maui and Hawaii Island. Big Island Grown Dispensaries opened its first retail location in Hilo in January.
“We appreciate the ongoing efforts of licensees to meet Hawai’i’s rigorous standards while continuing to expand their operations to provide for the needs of registered patients,” said Michele Nakata, supervisor of DOH’s Medical Cannabis Dispensary Licensing Program. “The health department is committed to protecting the safety of patients and the public through the licensing program’s strict security and product quality standards.”
There are more than 24,000 patients and over 1,800 caregivers registered statewide. Nearly 30 percent of these patients and 20 percent of the caregivers reside on Hawaii Island. As of Jan. 31, there were approximately 6,814 registered patients and 388 caregivers on Hawaii Island. The primary qualifying medical condition reported for adult registered patients is severe pain. The primary reported condition for children under 18 years of age is seizures.
Registered patients and caregivers may purchase up to 4 ounces of medical cannabis during a 15-consecutive day period and a maximum of 8 ounces over a 30-consecutive day period. When bringing medical cannabis home after purchasing it from a dispensary, the medical cannabis must be in a sealed container and not visible to the public.
All use of medical cannabis must be on private property and may not be used in a car while on the road, at work, at the beach, on hiking trails or in any other public space. It is illegal to use or possess medical cannabis on any federally owned property such as military installations and national parks.
More information on the Medical Cannabis Program is available at http://health.hawaii.gov/medicalcannabis/.