The launching of the state’s cannabis dispensary program was meant to give the production and sale of medical marijuana legitimacy along with enforceable standards and quality control.
But allegations of illegal activity at last weekend’s Hawaii Cannabis Expo has cast a pall — on that event principally, but also, by extension, on the fledgling industry.
The state Narcotics Enforcement Division, part of the Department of Public Safety, is “researching allegations of illegal activities that were said to have occurred” at the event, according to a statement from department spokeswoman Toni Schwartz. Those with information are asked to call police or the division at 837-8470.
Honolulu Star-Advertiser writer Kristen Consillio reported on Sunday that some vendors openly distributed cannabis seeds and other products at the Feb. 9-11 event. Some of the exhibitors were “giving away” seeds and asking for certain levels of donations for certain product packages.
This is really unacceptable, and few could agree more than the dispensaries. Their representatives at the expo correctly see this illicit behavior as whittling away the community trust the legitimate outlets worked to build up.
The law of the state of Hawaii has allowed the medical use of marijuana for decades, but only in the last few years has set up the mechanism for selling the medicine itself in a tightly controlled setting.
A laboratory for testing the product was certified. Rules were established for the production facilities and for securing access to the dispensaries. These are restricted to those with the medically-reviewed certification or those vendors or other workers who get a security clearance to service the facilities.
To maintain the sense of control and legitimacy, events associated with the industry also should be run within the rules. Certainly many of the vendors at the expo were doing so, but a lapse like this undermines confidence in the clinical rigor of cannabis distribution.
State health officials, who regulate that clinical aspect of state’s dispensary program, expressed concern about what happened. The event was held at the city’s Neal Blaisdell Center, so it also falls to the city to vet participants in future events and ensure there’s some supervision on-site.
Organizers defending the expo said the event is geared to provide education about cannabis products. Patients are allowed to grow their own medicine, they said, so some vendors were “providing tools and information for home-growing purposes.”
Tools, fine; information, fine. Distribution of seeds or other products: definitely not fine. There are four dispensaries in operation for this purpose, with four more approaching an opening date in the coming months.
At the Legislature, industry leaders hope to advance refinements to the program, including a push for reciprocity, allowing credentialed patients from out-of-state to purchase medicinal products while in Hawaii. One such measure, House Bill 2729 is set for a hearing before House Finance, 11 a.m. Friday in conference room 308.
State Sen. Will Espero, majority floor leader, agreed with the need for more oversight and security at the expo, especially with presenters being brought in from other states with other laws. Espero added, though, that no such problems were reported in previous events and that “the allegations have nothing to do with the medical cannabis program.”
States such as Oregon, with legalized marijuana, have been struggling with enforcement of their expanded recreational program. Hawaii’s not at that point, but advocates should worry, anyway.
This latest episode already tends to confirm critics’ worst suspicions: that medical cannabis programs give cover to recreational use, ahead of legalization. And that’s not helpful to the programs’ cause.
