Question: Can minors get a medical-marijuana card in Hawaii?
Answer: Yes, people under 18 can register to use medical marijuana, as long as the minor (patient), the patient’s caregiver and the patient’s physician meet certain requirements, which we’ll explain below. This information comes from the state Department of Health, which administers Hawaii’s Medical Marijuana Registry Program.
>> A physician must certify the minor’s debilitating medical condition in writing and explain the potential risks and benefits of medical marijuana to the minor and to the minor’s parent or legal guardian.
>> The minor’s parent, guardian or legal custodian must register as the minor’s primary caregiver and give consent in writing to allow the minor to use medical marijuana. The registered caregiver must control “the acquisition, dosage and frequency of medical marijuana use by the minor,” according to the Health Department.
>> Both the minor and the caregiver (parent, guardian or legal custodian) must submit valid identification, which for the minor can be a birth certificate. The responsible adult also must attest that he or she has legal authority to make health care decisions on the minor’s behalf.
>> In cases of joint legal custody, both parents (or individuals with legal authority) must sign the application.
Children comprise a tiny segment of patients registered in Hawaii to use medical marijuana. Only 29 of the total 15,334 people registered as of Dec. 31 were under age 18, according to the Health Department. People ages 56 to 65 comprised the largest group, at 3,965 patients, or 26 percent of all medical-marijuana users registered in the state.
Q: I know you put a Christmas card recycling update in the paper a while ago, and I thought I had clipped the darn thing but now I can’t find it. Would you mind reprinting it? …
A: Not at all. Numerous other readers have called, written or emailed Kokua Line asking for the same information, which we printed in mid-December, a busy time for most folks.
Mail your used Christmas cards or Christmas card fronts to Marilyn Gilbert, 247 Akiohala St., Kailua, HI 96734.
She is the contact person for a church group that uses the cards to decorate care boxes sent to needy children around the world. The group works on the project throughout the year, so is happy to receive the cards anytime (as long as they are in good condition). For more about the project, read the column that ran in December at 808ne.ws/2ivdnup Opens in a new tab.
Q: Regarding that new gun law (808ne.ws/2iF999q Opens in a new tab), what happens if a gun owner refuses to sign off on this? Is there a way to get out of the database later?
A: A firearm registration application will be denied for any owner who refuses to sign the “consent and notification” form acknowledging that his or her fingerprints will be entered into the FBI’s Rap Back database, according to information from the state Attorney General posted on the Honolulu Police Department’s website.
As for your second question, a gun owner can be removed from the federal database by documenting that all of his or her registered firearms are no longer in Hawaii or have been sold. “Proof that firearms have been transferred to a Federal Firearms Licensed (FLL) dealer will be sufficient documentation,” according to the fact sheet.
Mahalo
I am deeply grateful to the kind person who found and sent my payment to Oceanic Time Warner Cable. Thank you! — A.K.
Mahalo
A big mahalo to the kind gentleman who was in line in front of me at Manoa Safeway. He paid for my quart of milk. That was an unexpected surprise. With warm appreciation, I thank you again. — Grateful senior
Write to Kokua Line at Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 7 Waterfront Plaza, Suite 210, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Honolulu 96813; call 529-4773; fax 529-4750; or email kokualine@staradvertiser.com.
