Hawaii’s Medical Cannabis Caregiver Program Set to Expire December 31

Beginning January 1, Hawaii’s network of medical cannabis caregivers will be outlawed under “sunset” provisions included in the state’s medical cannabis law, HawaiiNewsNow reports. House Public Safety Chair Rep. Della Belatti (D) indicated that the sunset provision is a mistake that lawmakers will try to address, but for now the state’s registered caregivers will be forced to stop serving patients by the start of the new year. 

Registered caregivers are allowed to raise up to 10 medical cannabis plants for patients who cannot cultivate the plants. The system is an alternative to dispensaries, which some say are too expensive or inconvenient.  

Belatti told HawaiiNewsNow that the impending shut down of the caregiver program is “a failure” that lawmakers did not address which has led to a “crisis.” 

“They’re left either to the black market, which we know is unregulated and untested and unsafe potentially. Now they’re faced with the situation and we’re going to have to deal with it.” — Belatti to HawaiiNewsNow 

State Sen. Joy San Buenaventura (D), who chairs the chamber’s Health and Human Services committee, said the deadline would impact thousands of the state’s medical cannabis patients. 

“Especially for Oahu patients who live in condos where they are dependent upon caregivers to grow their medical cannabis for them,” she told HawaiiNewsNow, “they won’t be able to have that access and that’s huge.”