Lawmakers Are Considering Loosening Dispensary Rules and Allowing Greenhouses Advanced practice registered nurses, who already prescribe prescription drugs, could start certifying patients for medical marijuana under a bill passed out of committee Wednesday. House Bill 2707, one of roughly 60 bills related to medical marijuana, also permits pot samples to be transported interisland for testing and eliminates penalties for patients who use paraphernalia, such as pipes and vape pens, to take their medicine. Friday is an internal deadline to move bills to the next committee to keep them alive. [continues 569 words]
Remember "government of the people, by the people and for the people"? The state Department of Health has the fate of thousands of medical marijuana patients in its hands. Who decided that nobody is supposed to know who is on the dispensary application approval team, or who picked them ("Panel, process for pot licenses to remain secret," Star-Advertiser, Feb. 10)? Sounds like Big Brother knows what is best for everyone. And for that matter, why not just have free enterprise? The number of pharmacies per county should not be limited by the state. Sandra Conrad Ala Moana [end]
But Whether the Health Department Has Finalized the Committee Is Unclear The state Health Department reversed course Friday, saying it will release the names of medical marijuana dispensary committee members before the panel grants Hawaii's first licenses for legal pot sales. On Tuesday the agency said it would keep secret the names of the panelists who are to select eight winning applications from the 66 that were submitted last month. The decision to keep the selection process secret drew a sharp rebuke from lawmakers. The Honolulu Star-Advertiser also threatened to sue the state if the names were not released. [continues 612 words]
Oahu Publications Says It Is Prepared to Sue If the Heath Department Refuses The Honolulu Star-Advertiser told the state Health Department on Thursday it will file a lawsuit if the agency does not release by the close of business today the names of committee members who will award Hawaii's first medical marijuana dispensary licenses. Jeff Portnoy, attorney for the Star-Advertiser's parent company, Oahu Publications Inc., delivered the notice to the Department of Health demanding it disclose the names. [continues 661 words]
The people in the know clearly know the crucial fact about the new medical marijuana dispensary enterprise: It's going to be big business - very big. That, as well as the fact that only eight licenses will be awarded, has turned those permits into valuable commodities. And it's turned the process of selecting the licensees into a matter of public interest - one that should be done with as much transparency as possible. Unfortunately, the state Department of Health, which is administering the fledgling program, has decided that the best course to fairness is to sequester the people making the decision: its review panel. In this way, DOH officials have said, the panelists would not be open to influence. [continues 464 words]
The state Health Department said Tuesday it will neither release the names of committee members who will select the winners of Hawaii's eight medical marijuana dispensary licenses nor disclose any information about the selection process. The department received 66 applications for the dispensary licenses and will determine by April 15 who is granted the right to open the first legal marijuana shops in Hawaii later this year. "It is critical that the selection process be conducted without external influence and disruption, so that applicants are scored solely on their application and the merit criteria," said Janice Okubo, spokeswoman for the Department of Health. "To ensure the integrity of the selection process, DOH will not be releasing any additional information about applicants, the application process or evaluation panel at this time." [continues 715 words]
Hawaii residents say legalizing industrial hemp could spur business ventures ranging from home construction to selling hemp seed candy bars at Hawaii airports. Lawmakers considered a bill Friday that would legalize and set rules for growing industrial hemp. The bill would require growers to register with the state and would clarify the difference between hemp and marijuana. The bill would also require the Hawaii Department of Agriculture to research development of products, such as clothing, oils and seed. Supporters say industrial hemp production could boost the agriculture sector and help rural economies. Nationwide at least 27 states have laws in place related to industrial hemp. In 2014 President Barack Obama signed the 2014 Farm Bill, which allowed universities and state departments to grow industrial hemp for limited uses. - -Staff and Associated Press [end]
Celebrities, politicians and attorneys vie to get in on the ground floor of an industry forecast to be worth millions Actor Woody Harrelson, Hollywood producer Shep Gordon and dozens of high-profile attorneys, entrepreneurs and politicians are jumping on the opportunity to sell pot in Hawaii. The state Health Department released Friday a list of 66 applicants for eight dispensary licenses that will allow for the opening of Hawaii's first medical marijuana retail centers as early as July 15. The list includes local doctors; video game entrepreneur Henk Rogers; Hawaii island farmer Richard Ha; "Hawaii Stars" television producer Dirk Fukushima; Michael Irish, owner of kim chee maker Halm's Enterprises and Keoki's Lau Lau; former St. Francis Healthcare Systems executive Eugene Tiwanak; former city Budget Director and Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transit Chairman Ivan Lui-Kwan; Kimberly Dey, CEO of production companies Liquid Planet Studios and Number-Eight; and Charles Kawakami, former president of Big Save supermarkets on Kauai. [continues 533 words]
TRENTON, N.J. (AP) - Three of New Jersey's five medical marijuana dispensaries have had their business pages shut down by Facebook, cutting off what advocates call an integral place for customers to learn about which plant strains best treat their illness and where to find discounts. Compassionate Sciences in Bellmawr, Garden State in Woodbridge, and Breakwater Treatment and Wellness in Cranbury had their pages shut down this week. Facebook's advertising policy bans promotion of selling drugs - as well as tobacco and guns - and the medical marijuana pages weren't spared even though they have been legally allowed to operate in New Jersey since 2011. [continues 452 words]
(AP) - The Government Accountability Office says the Justice Department needs to better document how it's tracking the effect of marijuana legalization in the states. In a report Monday, investigators noted that the department said in 2013 it would allow states to regulate marijuana for medical or recreational use, as long as they meet federal law enforcement priorities that include keeping pot away from children and keeping criminal organizations out of the industry. But, the GAO said, the government isn't documenting how it is making sure states meet those priorities. The report recommends that the Justice Department start doing so, which will put it in better position to identify states that aren't meeting federal pot enforcement priorities. The Justice Department said it agrees with the recommendations. Four states - Colorado, Washington, Oregon and Alaska - and the District of Columbia have legalized recreational pot use. [end]
State Rep. Cynthia Thielen has been a champion for cannabis, though not the kind that gets you high. Industrial hemp, Thielen said, yields thousands of uses and products, so it frustrates her to see them laughed off by those who confuse this varietal of the cannabis plant with what's known as marijuana. "Its uses range from termite proof and fire retardant hempcrete for building, nutritional hempseed products, animal feed, rope, paper, cloth," she said in an email response to a Star-Advertiser inquiry. [continues 166 words]
(AP) - Federal prosecutors want to take ownership of luxury cars, homes, watches and more than 1,000 pot plants seized from marijuana growers accused of illegally cultivating pot and sending it to Florida, a case authorities say represents the growing problem of illegal drug traffickers seeking a safe haven in Colorado's flourishing marijuana industry. A forfeiture lawsuit filed Thursday in Denver involves a case in which 20 people, many of them Cuban, were accused of buying properties in rural southern Colorado to illegally grow pot. The group would then drive or ship the marijuana to Florida, where it can sell for more than double what it fetches in a legal Colorado shop, according to court documents. [continues 235 words]
Traffickers Hide Amid Legal Pot Production and Profit Via Export DENVER (AP) - Seeking a safe haven in Colorado's legal marijuana marketplace, illegal drug traffickers are growing weed among the state's sanctioned pot warehouses and farms, then covertly shipping it elsewhere and pocketing millions of dollars from the sale, according to law enforcement officials and court records consulted. In one case the owner of a skydiving business crammed hundreds of pounds of Colorado pot into his planes and flew the weed to Minnesota, where associates allegedly sold it for millions of dollars in cash. In another a Denver man was charged with sending more than 100 pot filled FedEx packages to Buffalo, N.Y., where drug dealers divvied up the shipment. Twenty other drug traffickers, many from Cuba, were accused of relocating to Colorado to grow marijuana that they sent to Florida, where it can fetch more than double the price in a legal Colorado shop. [continues 320 words]
A bill that would ban homegrown marijuana in Hawaii is riling pot advocates as the state prepares for the opening of medical cannabis dispensaries this year. House Bill 1680, proposed by Rep. Marcus Oshiro (D-Wahiawa, Whitmore Village), would prohibit patients from growing their own pot in 2017, essentially forcing them to buy their marijuana from state-licensed dispensaries. "The discussion always has been to find a reliable, safe source of medical marijuana for Hawaii's patients," Oshiro said. "Those means would be through a well-regulated seed-to-sale tracking system to ensure that only the bona fide patients under doctors' care and with a valid certificate are able to obtain medical marijuana at the retail dispensaries. [continues 650 words]
Heroin Addicts Receive Treatment, Not Prison, in an East Coast Town Moved by Overdoses CANTON, OHIO - Leonard Campanello, police chief of Gloucester, Mass., took the microphone here in mid-December and opened with his usual warm-up line: I'm from Gloucester, he said in his heavy New England accent. "That's spelled 'G-l-o-s-t-a-h.'" A casually profane man with a philosophical bent, Campanello, 48, first drew national attention last spring when he wrote on Facebook that the old war on drugs was lost and over. A believer that addiction is a disease, not a crime, he became the unusual law enforcement officer offering heroin users an alternative to prison. [continues 837 words]
DENVER - States that have legalized pot are taking a fresh look at making it easier for out-of-state investors to get in the weed business, saying the industry's ongoing difficulty in banking means they need new options to finance expansion. The four states that allow recreational pot sales - Alaska, Colorado, Oregon and Washington - have another big reason to take a new look at pot investment. That's California, the nation's most populous state and largest marijuana producer. California voters could approve recreational pot this fall, which gives the nascent pot industries in the other states reason to want to attract investment before a giant enters the picture. [end]
Hemp production could save agriculture in Hawaii. The recent reporting on the University of Hawaii's study about growing hemp here is extremely hopeful. The preliminary results of the College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resource's experimental study on its farmland in Waimanalo point toward excellent possibilities. The timing of agricultural land becoming available on Maui and the announcement that Alexander & Baldwin (A&B), through its agricultural subsidiary Hawaiian Commercial & Sugar Co. (HC&S), is considering hemp as a viable crop indicates how views have changed since industrial hemp was erroneously classified as a drug over 50 years ago. [continues 416 words]
Legalizing marijuana for agriculture is a pipe dream ("Like it or not, legalizing pot could be boon for local ag," Star-Advertiser, David Shapiro, Jan. 10). Alcohol and tobacco are not profitable in Hawaii because of the out-of-state competition, egregious state regulations, taxes, land, labor, production and transportation costs. Marketing labels like Puna Butter, Kona Gold or Maui Wowie would not create cannabis agriculture. Just like Hawaiian sweet bread, marijuana would not be exported; it would be produced outside of Hawaii. [continues 64 words]
Commercial cannabis (marijuana) in Colorado currently is grown indoors ("Like it or not, legalizing pot could be boon for local ag," Star-Advertiser, David Shapiro, Jan. 10). However, it's reasonable to expect federal laws prohibiting cannabis to collapse in the future, and that will give Hawaii an advantage with its ideal climate. Another thing that doesn't get mentioned is tourism. Millions of citizens across America are sick and tired of being persecuted, discriminated against and caged for using the relatively safe, extremely popular God-given plant. Colorado has seen tourism increase substantially since ending cannabis prohibition. The sooner Hawaii re-legalizes the plant, the sooner its tourism likely will increase also. Further, millions of citizens remember "Maui Wowie" and can hardly wait to smoke it legally. Stan White Dillon, Colo. [end]
The state Department of Health opened an 18-day bidding window today for companies interested in competing for medical marijuana dispensary licenses. This year Hawaii is joining at least 18 other states in legalizing the commercial production and distribution of medical marijuana. Under Act 241, 16 medical marijuana dispensaries will be licensed to open starting July 15. Several experienced Hawaii businessmen have said they plan to apply for licenses. Companies will need to dish out $5,000 just to apply and pay a $75,000 license fee if their application is selected. To make a bid, a company must show that it has at least $1 million worth of financial resources for each license, as well as $100,000 for each retail outlet. There is a $50,000 annual license renewal fee and an estimated $2 million to $5 million a year in overhead costs. [continues 455 words]
It's been a sad week for agriculture in Hawaii - and not only because Alexander & Baldwin Inc. announced that it's closing Hawaii's last sugar plantation, the company's 36,000acre farm on Maui. The same day, longtime Hawaii island farmer Richard Ha told employees he's shutting down his Hamakua Springs Country Farms, at least for the growing of crops that people eat. Ha stopped growing his tomatoes last year and now will no longer produce his mainstay bananas after the current crop goes to market. [continues 406 words]
Cocaine use in the workplace doubled in the fourth quarter from the year-earlier period while marijuana still remained the drug of choice. Among employees and job applicants tested for drugs, 0.4 percent tested positive for cocaine during the final three months of the year, according to a report Tuesday by Honolulu-based Diagnostic Laboratory Services Inc. That's up from 0.3 percent in the third quarter and double the 0.2 percent who tested positive for the drug in the fourth quarter of 2014. [continues 174 words]
In the "hurry up and wait" mode that defines Hawaii's lawmaking process, new rules launching the state's medical marijuana industry have been rushed, less than a year after a law finally sanctioned dispensaries, and 15 years after Hawaii approved medical marijuana use but without legal means of buying the drug. The harried nature of the rulemaking, coupled with lawmakers' criticisms of the crucial ground rules, are unsettling - so much so that it behooves officials to pause the timetable to do this properly. [continues 557 words]
Regarding medical marijuana distribution, I think all parties have it wrong. Hawaii County Councilwoman Margaret Wille is opposed to Oahu-based rules, rightly so, calling for county control and addressing certain areas where a "drug problem exists." She's right. A drug problem exists, due to the illegality of marijuana itself, creating black markets and so-called "crimes." My solution is simple: no regulation at all. Legalization of medical marijuana was enacted to help the needy, not to line the pockets of the greedy. [continues 68 words]
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) - A New York company says it will soon offer the first certified kosher medical pot. Vireo Health says its nonsmokable medical cannabis products have been certified as conforming to the Jewish dietary law by the Orthodox Union. Vireo says it's the first time a medical cannabis product has been deemed kosher. The Orthodox Union says it awarded certification after inspecting Vireo's facilities to ensure the marijuana was grown and processed according to kosher standards. Those include, for example, insect-free plants. Vireo says the certification will help the company serve patients among New York's Jewish population, the nation's largest. Its program is slated to start next month and will serve patients in New York state with certain qualifying conditions. [end]
The State Department of Health Is Criticized for Its New Regulations on Medical Marijuana Hawaii lawmakers criticized top Department of Health officials on Monday over new rules governing the growth and sale of medical marijuana, saying that health officials may have overstepped their statutory authority by prohibiting the use of greenhouses and excluding official retail outlets from selling rolled marijuana cigarettes and certain smoking paraphernalia. "I get very frustrated when executive departments establish rules that go beyond what the Legislature opined," Sen. Roz Baker (D, West Maui-South Maui) told health officials who testified in front of a joint hearing of the House Health Committee and Senate Commerce, Consumer Protection and Health Committee. "The Legislature makes policy and the executive branch implements that policy. So I would like you ... to look at those rules and in areas where they go beyond what the statute says specifically, take them down. They don't belong there." [continues 812 words]
DENVER - A marijuana banking case set for arguments today is testing the federal government's stated goal of addressing the cash-only nature of the quasi-legal pot industry. But should pot sellers be able to use the nation's banking system as long as marijuana is an illegal drug? It's a question before a federal judge trying to weigh a Colorado-chartered bank's attempt to force the U.S. Federal Reserve to let pot shops access the nation's banking system. [continues 316 words]
Twenty-three states plus the District of Columbia have legalized medical cannabis, and more are coming on board each year. The belief that cannabis has no medicinal efficacy has been disproven in privately funded studies. More clinical trials are critically needed. Yet, those studies cannot be performed as long as the Drug Enforcement Administration classifies cannabis as a Schedule I drug, which places it as having no medical use. This needs to change, and soon. Congress is not moving fast enough, but there is another route: rescheduling cannabis as a Schedule II drug by executive order. [continues 66 words]
Four Hawaii doctors earlier this month filed a petition with the state to put pressure on the federal government to change the classification of medical marijuana. Marijuana is classified by the Drug Enforcement Administration as a "Schedule I controlled substance," the most dangerous category of controlled substances, which includes heroin, lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) and Ecstasy. Dr. Clifton Otto of Honolulu and three other Hawaii doctors asked state Attorney General Douglas Chin to push for removing marijuana from the Schedule I list. [continues 489 words]
Pot's not green. The $3.5 billion U.S. cannabis market is emerging as one of the nation's most power-hungry industries, with the 24-hour demands of thousands of indoor growing sites taxing aging electricity grids and unraveling hard-earned gains in energy conservation. Without design standards or efficient equipment, the facilities in the 23 states where marijuana is legal are responsible for greenhouse gas emissions almost equal to those of every car, home and business in New Hampshire. While reams of regulations cover everything from tracking individual plants to package labeling to advertising, they lack requirements to reduce energy waste. [continues 948 words]
A Nonprofit Group Has Ranked Hawaii No. 6 for the State's Rate of Fatal Substance Use We don't have nearly the extreme kind of heroin epidemic that you see on the mainland. ... What we most commonly see kids overdose with in Hawaii is still alcohol poisoning." Colleen Fox Director of adolescent programs, Hina Mauka Hawaii has the sixth-lowest rate among the states of youth dying from drug overdoses, but the figure is trending upward across the country, according to a new report from the Trust for America's Health. [continues 722 words]
Medical marijuana patients will not be allowed to sample their medicines before they buy when dispensaries open next year. The state Health Department issued interim administrative rules Tuesday for the medical marijuana dispensary licensing program that require cannabis operators to grow their plants indoors and at least 750 feet away from schools and playgrounds. It also doesn't allow retail operators to hand out free samples or sell paraphernalia. The dispensaries will be highly regulated with unlimited unannounced inspections, the department said. [continues 377 words]
A group composed of Hawaii farmers, a naturopath and a University of Hawaii bioengineering researcher is preparing to apply for a medical marijuana dispensary license in January. The group, led by Dr. Ryan Ferchoff, founder of Medical Medicinals LLC, and Maui business consultant Steven Bronstein, issued a news release Tuesday announcing its intentions to vie for one of eight dispensary licenses next year. Bronstein has represented some of Hawaii's largest medical groups, educators and local businesses for more than 15 years, and was the founder of Cushman & Wakefield's retail division, previously owned by the Rockefellers. [continues 155 words]
During a talk radio debate last week, Tulsa's district attorney, Steve Kunzweiler, warned that civil forfeiture reform would invite "some of the most violent people in the history of this planet" to set up shop in Oklahoma, making decapitated bodies "hung from bridges" a familiar sight in the Sooner State. Last month, Steve Jones, an assistant district attorney, told Tennessee legislators "criminals will thank you" for making it harder to confiscate people's property. These are the noises that cops and prosecutors make when people talk about restricting their license to steal. A new report from the Institute for Justice, which gives the forfeiture laws of both Oklahoma and Tennessee a "D-", explains why legislators should ignore such self-interested fear mongering. [continues 559 words]
The board tasked with writing rules for Alaska's recreational marijuana industry voted Friday to allow people to use pot at certain stores that will sell it, a first among the four states that have legalized the drug. The 3-2 vote by the Marijuana Control Board also changed the definition of the term "in public" to allow for consumption at some pot shops, none of which are open yet. Colorado, Washington and Oregon have legalized recreational marijuana but ban its public use, including in pot stores. [continues 320 words]
Hawaii's Health Department is looking for a company to build an online system to track medical marijuana inventory and sales at dispensaries statewide in 2016. The department's Office of Health Care Assurance, which regulates and licenses health care facilities, has issued a request for proposals for a computer software tracking system that will run 24 hours a day, according to Keith Ridley, who heads the office. "This is another major step forward to implement the medical marijuana program to ensure access for Hawaii patients and caregivers," Ridley said in a news release. [continues 332 words]
In a surprising move, New York Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo signed two bills Wednesday to establish an "emergency medical marijuana" program for qualified patients, two months before the planned debut of a statewide program providing for medical use of the drug. The governor's signature effectively accelerates the first distribution of medical marijuana in the state since the passage of a 2014 law that added New York to a list of nearly two dozen other states where the drug is now available for sick patients. [continues 105 words]
FLANDREAU, S.D. (AP) - A South Dakota American Indian tribe that sought to open the nation's first marijuana resort burned its crop after federal officials signaled a potential raid, the tribal president said Monday. Flandreau Santee Sioux President Anthony Reider said the tribe had three weeks of discussions with authorities that culminated with a meeting in Washington that included a Justice Department official and U.S. Attorney for South Dakota Randolph Seiler. Reider said the tribe wasn't told a raid was imminent - only that one was possible if the government's concerns weren't addressed. He said the main holdup is whether the tribe can sell marijuana to non-Indians, along with the origin of the seeds used for its crop. [continues 160 words]
FBI Director James Comey says cops are reluctant to do their jobs because they worry that their actions will be captured on camera. Judging from the official response to the shooting of Zachary Hammond, they have little to fear. Speaking at the University of Chicago Law School last month, Comey said police officers "in today's YouTube world" are afraid to get out of their cars, lest they face camera-wielding bystanders intent on recording them. He warned that good policing could "drift away from us in the age of viral videos" as cops refrain from confronting suspicious characters. [continues 580 words]
Parents, if you haven't already done so, be sure to cull through the kids' Halloween bounty to check that all goodies are safe to eat. That should be a routine every year - but this September, there have been reports here of high school students being sickened by candy containing THC, the active ingredient and toxicant in marijuana. The packaging was innocent-looking enough, with one "100% vegan and organic" fruit roll-up product bearing the label Shaka Organics Hawaii. Be warned that cannabis candies are being sold in the several states that have legalized recreational pot, and, of course, all over the Internet. [end]
Tainted Treats Send Several High-Schoolers to the Emergency Room Manufactured cannabis-laced fruit candy that has sickened Oahu teens in recent weeks may be touching off anxiety among parents of trick-or-treaters this Halloween. Several high school students wound up in Oahu hospital emergency rooms after ingesting candy with THC, the active ingredient and chief intoxicant in marijuana. The source was traced to packaged rolled-fruit candy, said Keith Kamita, state Narcotics Enforcement Division chief. As part of Halloween-safety awareness, "we are educating the public there are candies and fruit roll-ups that they should be aware of," Kamita said. Candies containing THC - whether in chocolates and brownies or fruit roll-ups and hard candies - are illegal to distribute in Hawaii, he said. [continues 505 words]
DENVER (AP) - One marijuana business hosts an annual golf tournament in Denver to raise money for multiple sclerosis research. Another Colorado pot company donates to a gay-rights advocacy group and is a sponsor of an AIDS walk. As marijuana legalization matures, businesses are becoming more ingrained in their communities by donating cash and time to charities - - a sign that the stigma of selling a drug that remains illegal under federal law may be fading. "It's not all about making money and about profiting," said Ean Seeb, co-owner of Denver Relief, a dispensary whose monetary and volunteering donations include Ekar Farm and Garden, which grows vegetables for food banks. [continues 105 words]
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) - New York state will require physicians to complete an educational course before they can authorize medical marijuana for patients - an unusual mandate not applied to other new drugs or seen in other states with medical marijuana programs. State officials say the 4-1/2-hour, $250 online course will inform doctors about a complex drug treatment not covered in medical school. But while the investment of time and money is modest, some patient advocates worry the inconvenience could discourage physicians from participating, ultimately limiting patient access. [continues 634 words]
The state Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs is reassuring banks and other financial institutions that they may open accounts for medical marijuana businesses in Hawaii when dispensaries start operations next year. Iris Ikeda, DCCA's commissioner of financial institutions, issued a news release Monday after conducting a series of presentations for the heads of local banks, compliance officers and their attorneys to "address some of their concerns" if they are considering opening these high-risk accounts. "The question has always been around whether or not banks can open marijuana-related accounts," she said. "(Federal regulators) want to make it clear that even though marijuana is still a Schedule 1 drug, if they take a risk-based approach, they can open an account. Currently banks are not willing to open the accounts." [continues 570 words]
The state Department of Health is under heavy pressure to speed up the process that would allow medical marijuana patients to receive cannabis. The department has been criticized for its reluctance to issue temporary cards; DOH expressed worry that temporary cards could easily be forged. The worry is understandable, given that marijuana is a hugely popular recreational drug, and is expected to become widely available through dispensaries beginning July 15. And DOH must fulfill its duty to ensure, as best it can, that the drug is dispensed properly. Meanwhile, under revised rules of professional conduct, Hawaii lawyers will be permitted to counsel applicants seeking to open dispensaries, which is a welcome switch from the previous situation. [end]
DENVER (AP) - Colorado's attempt to create a bank to service its marijuana industry has suffered another setback by the federal government and could be facing an impossible dilemma. The Federal Reserve - the guardian of the U.S. banking system - said in a court filing Wednesday that it doesn't intend to accept a penny connected to the sale of pot because the drug remains illegal under federal law. The stance appears to mark a shift in the position of the federal government. Last year the U.S. Treasury Department issued rules for how banks can accept pot money. [continues 564 words]
The Hawaii Supreme Court reversed Tuesday a ruling that barred lawyers from helping to establish medical marijuana dispensaries. A formal opinion issued last month by the Disciplinary Board of the Hawaii Supreme Court concluded that Hawaii lawyers could not "provide legal services to facilitate the establishment and operation of a medical marijuana business," because selling pot is still considered a federal crime. After an expedited public comment period to amend the rules following outcry from about two dozen local attorneys, including former Honolulu Mayor Peter Carlisle and former state Attorney General David Louie, the court changed the rules to say lawyers "may counsel or assist a client regarding conduct expressly permitted by Hawaii law, provided that the lawyer counsels the client about the legal consequences." The Legislature passed a bill this year that allows for 16 medical marijuana dispensaries to open in Hawaii on July 15. [end]
Medical Marijuana Patients Need State Cards to Possess Pakalolo, the Health Department Says State officials are warning Hawaii's medical marijuana patients and caregivers to tag their plants and carry their registration cards to avoid getting in trouble with the law. The requirements are part of an amended set of rules proposed by the state Department of Health and approved by Gov. David Ige in July. According to the updated rules, anyone registered to grow marijuana plants must have a legible identification tag on each marijuana plant, up to the allowable limit of seven plants. The tags must show the patient's registration number and expiration date of the card. [continues 607 words]
Hawaii workers testing positive for crystal meth and marijuana decreased in the third quarter, though more people tried to use synthetic urine to mask drug use in the workplace. Diagnostic Laboratory Services Inc., which conducts drug tests for between 7,000 and 10,000 workers, said meth, or "ice," use was down to 0.7 percent in the quarter from 0.9 percent in year-earlier period, according to a quarterly report released Tuesday. Marijuana use also dropped to 2.2 percent from 2.8 percent. Cocaine use remained flat at 0.3 percent, while positive opiate results fell slightly to 0.2 percent from 0.3 percent. [continues 132 words]
Big-name entrepreneurs, high-profile attorneys and former politicians are positioning themselves to compete for one of the eight licenses the state will issue next year to begin selling medical marijuana legally in Hawaii for the first time. Nearly 30 new business registrations include "marijuana," "cannabis," "pakalolo" and "weed" in their names, many of them filed with the state since the enactment of the law authorizing the establishment of pot dispensaries. Many are associated with well known business personalities. The daughter of Henk Rogers, owner of the Tetris video game brand, is among those planning to apply, as is Bill Jarvis, CEO of Mobi PCS, and Michael Irish, CEO of kimchee manufacturer Halm's Enterprises Inc. and Keoki's Lau Lau. Anthony Takitani, a Maui attorney and former state legislator, registered Maui Medical Marijuana Dispensary LLC with Hollywood film agent and producer Shep Gordon. Former Honolulu Mayor and longtime city Prosecutor Peter Carlisle is representing a group of critical-care doctors vying for a license, and David Louie, previously state attorney general, is also representing a potential licensee. [continues 1456 words]
