Pubdate: Sun, 12 Apr 2015
Source: Honolulu Star-Advertiser (HI)
Copyright: 2015 Star Advertiser
Contact:
http://www.staradvertiser.com/info/Star-Advertiser_Letter_to_the_Editor.h
tml
Website: http://www.staradvertiser.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/5154
Authors: Dr. Mark Tomita and Pat Loo

MEDICAL MARIJUANA DISPENSARY LEGISLATION NEEDS TO MEET THE HIGHEST STANDA
RDS

In 2000, Hawaii's Legislature was the first in the nation to pass
medical marijuana legislation to provide medical relief for the
state's seriously ill.

Existing law recognizes the benefits of marijuana for alleviating pain
and other symptoms associated with certain debilitating illnesses, but
patients until now have to obtain marijuana on the "black market" or
must grow their own supply of medical marijuana. The plain fact is: It
does not work.

Fifteen years ago, Hawaii led by example and now we must do it again
by passing legislation to create a well-regulated cultivation and
retail dispensary system.

In order to ensure the highest standards are met, we urge five
common-sense recommendations to the two bills, House Bill 321 and
Senate Bill 682, now being considered before the state
Legislature.

First, we argue that Hawaii dispensaries and cultivation centers be
"seed to sale" operations. Simply put, the left hand needs to know
what the right hand is doing. The Attorney General's Office was
spot-on when it advocated for "a single, combined license for both the
production aspect and the dispensary aspect of the system" and made
the case that a vertically integrated system would "make regulation
and tracking much simpler, and, in theory, =C2=85 improve inventory
management, quality controls, and security."

At present, the legislation before the Legislature does not ensure
vertical integration. Hawaii patients would be faced with a piecemeal
retail network of questionable products and the door is left wide open
for potential problems like the "diversion of revenue" or "off the
book" sales.

Second, legislators should not try to recreate the wheel when creating
regulations for the marijuana industry. We have workers who work every
day in many industries, guided by thousands of pages of state statutes
and regulations for a multitude of consumer products. The Legislature
should take into account the sound research and best practices that
have given us decades of laws and regulations in the retail,
manufacturing and agriculture sectors.

Third, the jobs created in this emerging industry should allow
employees to make a decent living with benefits. Workers should also
have the opportunity to collectively bargain with their employers.
Training will be an important component in professionalizing this new
industry and an employee apprenticeship training program similar to
other sectors could be adopted. This type of training would go a long
way to preventing all kinds of problems and making the system successful.

Fourth, all patients have the right to know what is in the product
they are purchasing and consuming. Every medical marijuana product
batch should be lab-tested for safety and quality. Testing labs should
meet the International Organizations for Standardization (ISO)
standards - the same standard blood labs use.

Finally, when it comes to medical marijuana in Hawaii, science should
dictate public policy. Institutions such as the University of Hawaii
medical school should be encouraged to lead the nation in medical
research on the effects of marijuana on patients and the various
symptoms and diseases it aims to alleviate. But even if they do not,
if the university chooses not to do research in this arena, the
question must not be lost. When it comes to licensing operators, HB
321 and SB 682 should prioritize those businesses currently involved
in clinical medical marijuana research to operate in our state.

By leading with standards second to none, we can ensure all residents
on all the islands have uniform, enforceable medical marijuana retail
operations that are regulated by policies that limit any threats to
public safety and properly address the care for the health of Hawaii's
residents.
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MAP posted-by: Matt