Hawaii to Start Accepting Out-of-State Medical Marijuana Patients

By 2019, those with out-of-state medical marijuana cards will be able to make purchases at dispensaries in Hawaii by applying online for a 60-day temporary card. The fee is $45 plus a small processing fee.

To obtain approval for a temporary card applicants must have a condition on Hawaii’s qualifying conditions list, reports The Los Angeles Times. Purchases will be permitted at dispensaries on Maui, Kauai and Oahu islands. The state has not made the application for out-of-state patients live yet.

George Bullock of Cure Oahu said, “We’ve been fielding a lot of calls daily about reciprocity. We really look forward to being able to serve them in the future.”

Peter Whitacar of the Hawaii Department of Health’s Harm Reduction Branch said, “[The temporary card] will be available to them to take to dispensaries to show that they are registered patients for purchase and for possession for medical cannabis.”

Bullock said, “If they’re using the medicine for whatever their qualifying condition is, you have to take that into consideration if you’re making travel plans. A lot of the calls that we have are from patients who need the medicine and are concerned about … not being able to get their medicine once they are here.”

State health officials are expecting at least 5,000 tourists to apply for a temporary card in 2019. The officials also expect the number to increase to at least 30,000 annually after that.