Hawaii House Health Committee Unanimously Approves Bill to Allow Medical Marijuana Use in Health Care Facilities
- The Hawaii House Health Committee unanimously approved Senate Bill 2408, allowing certain patients to use medical marijuana in health care facilities.
- The bill permits terminally ill patients and those 65 or older with chronic diseases to use medical marijuana in nursing homes, hospices, and long-term care settings, though facilities are not mandated to allow it.
- Senate Bill 2408 previously passed the Hawaii Senate unanimously and is now under House consideration, alongside a companion bill, House Bill 1542.
- Hawaii legalized medical marijuana in 2000, but dispensaries opened only in 2017; patients can possess up to four ounces and grow up to 10 plants under current law.
A Hawaii bill that would allow certain patients to use medical marijuana in health care facilities has received unanimous approval by the House Health Committee. The vote comes roughly two weeks after it passed the Senate, also unanimously.
Senate Bill 2408 was approved March 25 by the House Health Committee, by a vote of 9 to 0. The proposal would allow terminally ill patients, as well as patients age 65 and older with chronic diseases, to use medical marijuana within specified health care facilities under certain conditions. The measure would apply to places such as nursing homes, hospices and other long-term care settings, while making clear that facilities would not be required to allow marijuana use.
The bill passed the Senate on March 10, when lawmakers approved it on third reading by a vote of 25 to 0, sending it to the House for consideration.
A companion measure, House Bill 1542, also advanced last month when it passed the House Health Committee.
Hawaii legalized medical marijuana in 2000, becoming one of the first states to do so (four years after California became the first in 1996). However, licensed dispensaries didn’t open until 2017. Under Hawaii law, registered patients and caregivers are allowed to possess up to four ounces of usable marijuana and grow up to 10 plants.