A Florida-based consulting company will host a medical marijuana seminar at a Waikiki hotel next month to explain the business opportunities linked to the potential legalization of pot dispensaries in Hawaii.
Fifteen years after medical marijuana was legalized in Hawaii, the Legislature passed a bill this month approving a system of medical marijuana dispensaries statewide by next summer. Gov. David Ige is expected to sign House Bill 321 into law, and dispensaries are projected to open as early as July 2016.
Under the bill, eight dispensary licenses will be awarded to Hawaii residents, with up to two dispensaries allowed under each license — six on Oahu, four on Maui, four on Hawaii island and two on Kauai.
US Cannabis Pharmaceutical Research and Development LLC will conduct a seminar called "Hawaii medical marijuana dispensary system: What you need to know" on June 13 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Waikiki Beach Marriott Resort and Spa. The cost is $300 before June 6 and $350 after.
Michael Patterson, the company’s chief executive officer, will speak at the seminar along with Michael Visher, the company’s president and co-founder of Green Man Cannabis, a multimillion-dollar marijuana dispensary firm with two locations in Denver.
Pot dispensaries could lead to the creation of jobs for attorneys, accountants, business professionals, nurses, therapists, pharmacy technicians, health care executives, physicians and marijuana growers, according to the company.
Hawaii has approximately 13,000 medical marijuana patients with identification cards, according to the state Department of Health. For the first time, Hawaii patients will have legal access to medical marijuana that has been grown and prepared under strict safety controls.
