Hawaii Approves 3 Dispensaries to Begin Cultivating Medical Marijuana

Aloha Green Holdings, Inc. has sewn its first seeds. The approval was given to this dispensary and two others to begin cultivating medical marijuana. By early summer, patients should be able to visit Aloha Green Holdings to purchase their medicine.

The Hawaii Department of Health approved three dispensaries to acquire seeds to begin cultivating, according to West Hawaii Today. The dispensaries are also permitted to obtain clones and plants to help speed up their processes a little bit. In 2015, eight additional licenses were issued to increase the state’s dispensaries to 16. There are also 16 production centers permitted.

Helen Cho, director of integrated strategy for Aloha Green Holdings said, “Feb. 1 we got the green light, so we just put seeds in the ground.”

Laboratories still need to be contracted to ensure that Hawaii patients receive safe medicine. The seed-to-sale tracking system requires linking with the state’s patient registry as well.

Cho also said, “If those two things aren’t completed on the DOH side, even if we’re ready we won’t be able to sell. We remain optimistic. We understand that they’re building this whole industry from the ground up.”