Office of Medical Cannabis Control and Regulation

 Medical Cannabis Patient Registry

 
Hawaii law requires all qualified patients to be registered with the Medical Cannabis Patient Registry Program before they begin to use cannabis for medicinal purposes. The registration process begins when:

1. A license Physician or Advanced practice registered nurse certifies the health condition can benefit from medical cannabis
2. Patient creates and registers with the DOH medmj.ehawaii.gov account
3. DOH reviews, approves and issues a 329 Registration Card

 
DOH’s goal is to issue the patient’s 329 Registration Card in a timely manner so that patients can begin or continue to legally use medical cannabis.
 
DOH is required to provide law enforcement officials with limited access to the Medical Cannabis Registry Program’s database as a tool to safeguard the community against illegal cannabis use and/or illegal cannabis grow sites.
 
If you are planning on acquiring medical cannabis from a dispensary, you must have:

1. Your valid 329 card.
2. Your valid state driver license, or valid passport to gain entry.

Medical Cannabis Dispensary

 
The Hawaii Department of Health’s Dispensary Licensing program monitor’s the quality of the cannabis products from seed to sale. This includes statewide oversight of the laboratories that test the safety and quality of the cannabis and manufactured cannabis products, and monitoring of the dispensaries who will grow, manufacture, and sell the products to qualified patients.
 
Act 241 was signed into law in July 2015 and became Chapter 329D, HRS.  The Hawaii Department of Health will begin administering the Medical Cannabis Dispensary Program in 2016 and dispensaries may begin to dispense medical cannabis and manufactured medical cannabis products as early as July 2016 with departmental approval.
 
Medical cannabis has been legal in Hawaii since 2000, but access to medical cannabis remained a challenge.  Patients and caregivers could legally grow their own cannabis plants within certain parameters.  Advocates of medical cannabis have hailed the dispensary program as a major breakthrough. The goal of the dispensary licensure program is to make medicinal products readily available for registered patients while balancing the health and safety of patients and the public.
 
Dispensary Applicants, be sure to regularly check Dispensary Updates (on the left side of this page) for information on dispensary licensing requirements, frequently asked questions (FAQ), and other valuable updates.

Hemp Processors and Products

 
The Office of Medical Cannabis Control and Regulation (OMCCR) is responsible for regulating the processing of hemp biomass into allowable manufactured hemp products and hemp crude extract, as well as overseeing their sale, to protect the health and safety of the general public.
 
These regulations apply to:

1. Processing hemp biomass into crude extract or manufactured hemp products;
2. Processing crude extract into a manufactured hemp product;
3. Using a manufactured hemp product as an ingredient in the production of another manufactured hemp product;
4. Any packaging and labeling activities; and
5. The sale and distribution of crude extract and manufactured hemp products.

 
OMCCR does not regulate other products that may be produced from hemp, except as otherwise provided in section 328G-3, HRS, or section 11-37-3, HAR.