The State Department of Health said Wednesday it hopes to announce the medical marijuana dispensary licensees by April 29, a move that caused an outcry from a local dispensary lobbying group.
In a written statement, the department said it’s reviewing the criminal history records of applicants after announcing last week that applicants were given notice to provide consents and submit fingerprints.
“The applicants have been very responsive, and a majority of applicants were able to submit their fingerprints and consents by Tuesday,”said Peggy Leong, supervisor for the Medical Marijuana Dispensary Licensing Program. “A small number of applicants are traveling abroad and unable to respond as quickly as we had hoped. In addition, it also came to our attention that many business entities, such as limited liability corporations, corporations and trusts failed to submit the consents and fingerprints of the individuals involved in the entities. The department sent an email to all applicants clarifying the requirements of who is subject to a background check.
“Given the situation, and in order to provide all applicants a fair opportunity to comply with the statutory requirements, we may not be able to obtain and review the remaining information until the last week of April.”
State Health Director Dr. Virginia Pressler said, “We have requested that applicants submit the remaining consents and fingerprints no later than April 25, and we will be pushing hard to complete our review and announce the licensees by Friday, April 29. While we regret the delay, we believe the priority is to do this the right way, and that includes being fair to the applicants by providing this additional time.”
The Hawaii Dispensary Alliance responded that the delay was caused by Department of Health missteps.
The group said in a statement DOH’s emails specified that not only the applicant, but every named owner, principal, and member of the applying entity must also submit their fingerprints and consent to a background check.
“Changing course at this late date, only two days before the statutory deadline will seriously undermine the legitimacy of the process, the reputation of the Department of Health, and the economic viability of many dispensary applicants,” said Christopher Garth, the alliance’s executive director and chief lobbyist. “Our members are increasingly concerned about the lack of transparency and disorganization exhibited by the Department of Health’s conduct concerning the last minute removal of a panelist, last minute request for fingerprints, and last minute postponement of the announcement deadline.”
