By Wendy Osher

Governor David Ige today signed Hawaiʻi’s medical marijuana dispensary bill into law.

Under the new law, eight dispensary licenses will be permitted in the state, including two in Maui County.

There are an estimated 13,000 qualified patients throughout the state who are listed as medical marijuana card holders.

SPONSORED VIDEO

Governor Ige said the challenge going forward will be to adopt rules that are fair, cost effective, and easy to monitor.



The new law also prohibits counties from enacting zoning regulations that discriminate against licensed dispensaries and production centers; and allows for the legal transport of medical marijuana in any public place, under certain conditions by qualified patients, primary caregivers or owners/employees of medical marijuana production centers and dispensaries.

In announcing the new law Governor Ige said, “I support the establishment of dispensaries to ensure that qualified patients can legally and safely access medical marijuana.” With timelines established under the bill, Governor Ige said, “We will make a good faith effort to create a fair process that will help the people most in need.”

The American Civil Liberties Union was among the groups that had advocated for the bill’s passage. The ACLU lauded the governor’s actions today, along with Medical Cannabis Coalition of Hawaiʻi Executive Director Carl Bergquist who called the legislative progress on the matter a “diligent effort.”

The governor also signed the controversial rail tax bill, asking Honolulu Rail Transit for an annual report. House Bill 134 authorizes the counties to extend by another five years, the half-percentage point surcharge on the state tax to continue funding the city’s $6 billion rail transit project. The surcharge will be effective until Dec. 31, 2027.

Despite concerns over cost overages, Gov. Ige said, “The primary reason I signed this bill is because we made a commitment years ago, and we must keep this commitment to see rail to its completion.”

He issued a statement in a press release saying, “The excise tax is an investment by the taxpayers of Hawai‘i and my job is to ensure that their hard earned money is being spent efficiently, effectively and productively. To this end, I hereby ask Honolulu Rail Transit (HART) to provide me with an annual progress report on revenue, costs and progress of the rail project. This report will be shared with not only my administration, but with the legislature and the public, and it will be measured against specific goals and targets.”

On Tuesday, Governor Ige vetoed eight bills and sent his statements of objections to the house and senate leadership.

Four other bills will become law without the governor’s signature. They include the following: