Whoever is selected to open the state’s first medical marijuana dispensaries this summer should have plenty of business, state Department of Health records indicate.
At the end of February, there were more than 1,800 additional people registered as medical cannabis patients than in January 2015, the first month the DOH began overseeing the program. Broken down, that’s about a 16 percent increase between last month, when 13,244 unduplicated patients were registered, and 14 months ago, when the registry was about 11,402 people.
Between September and October alone, the number of patients increased by nearly 600 and in Hawaii County, which has more patients than anywhere else in the state, the number increased from 4,998 in October to 5,330 at the end of December.
“It’s exciting, but it’s also about time,” said Andrea Tischler, chairwoman of the Big Island chapter of Americans for Safe Access, after hearing about the increase. “It’s about time more people become aware of it and want to try (medical marijuana) and see if it works.”
Tischler, along with other proponents of medical cannabis, think the increase is at least partly the result of Hawaii’s new dispensary law. In May 2015, lawmakers passed a bill to establish a statewide system of dispensaries, which, for the first time since medical marijuana was legalized in 2000, will give patients a way to legally purchase the drug. Previously, patients had to either grow it themselves or access it through a caregiver. Many opted instead for the black market.
“(Previously) there were probably patients, (for example) on Oahu, who saw no reason to get certified since they couldn’t grow living in a condo,” said Charles Webb, a Kona physician who operates the MUM clinic. “But if there’s a dispensary, it would make sense to get certified so they can use their (license) to purchase at dispensaries.”
Webb said he has seen only a slight increase in folks seeking certification — but he thinks that’s at least partly because the process to get certified “is not the easiest in the world.”
In recent months, however, the DOH has taken steps to make the process more efficient. In December, the department introduced an electronic application process which expedites the registration period from weeks, as it previously took, into just days.
“Certainly we’ve been working really hard to make it easier for people,” DOH spokeswoman Janice Okubo said, adding she thinks the increase in patients also is because the DOH has “a much better handle” on the numbers now.
Webb said he expects even more people to register once dispensaries open. The DOH is set to announce selections April 15. Those chosen can then begin operating July 15, though Webb thinks it might take most longer to open shop.
Statewide, 66 applicants are in the running for eight dispensary licenses. On the Big Island, 14 are vying for two. Each license will allow up to two dispensaries and two production centers. The DOH will next release patient numbers April 15, Okubo said.
Email Kirsten Johnson at kjohnson@hawaiitribune-herald.com
