Four years ago, shortly before the first dispensary opened, the state had about 17,000 registered medical marijuana patients. Now, with Hawaii’s 17th retail center opening this week — an Aloha Green Apothecary shop on Nimitz Highway — patient count has climbed to upwards of 31,850.

A measure advancing at the state Capitol, House Bill 477, would tweak various elements in the dispensary system. One provision aims to ensure that patients across the state have relatively easy access to medical marijuana by authorizing the Health Department to allow dispensaries to purchase up to 6.6 pounds from another dispensary.