Hawaii Opens First Medical Cannabis Dispensary
Maui Grown Therapies will be the first dispensary to open doors on the islands of Hawaii. The dispensary received approval from Hawaii’s Department of Health to open Tuesday. It took the state 17 years to go from legalizing medical cannabis to selling it in dispensaries, but the wait is over.
Tuesday was the pilot test day, so the dispensary opened up for only two hours to ease its staff into the budtending process, according to Teri Freitas Gorman, Maui Grown Therapies director of community relations and patient affairs. On the first day, only preregistered patients with appointments were allowed entry.
Eager patients waited for the opening day and their first taste of regulated medical cannabis. “Clearly this is a historic day not just for Maui but for the state of Hawaii,” Freitas Gorman told the Associated Press. “This is the first time in Hawaii that patients will be able to buy lab-tested, quality-assured medical cannabis from a state-licensed dispensary. We’re so excited.”
Only 22 transactions and a few mistakes were made, however it was a historic milestone for the islands of Hawaii. Cannabis was sold for a steep $20 per gram and $90-$125 per ounce, depending on the quality.
From 2000-2015 medical cannabis was legal but the only way to legally medicate was for patients to grow at home. It would take another two years for the rollout of medical cannabis dispensaries. Some 18,000 patients all were expected to grow their own medical cannabis supply at home until now.
Honolulu-based dispensary Aloha Green will be Hawaii’s second dispensary. Aloha Green passed inspection on August 8 and begin sales today. Woody Harrelson was among 60 applicants to operate one of Hawaii’s eight licensed dispensaries, but was denied. The actor quit recently quit cannabis, but the “moment of clarity” appears to be short-lived. It’s certainly bad timing, given that medical cannabis is now becoming available to
Walk-in sales at Maui Grown Therapies begins in one week.
