Robert Celt
New Member
The number of registered medical marijuana applicants has surged more than 14 percent since the Department of Health first began administrating the program in Jan. 2015. The DOH said the number could more then double after improvements made to the process last month.
In Jan. 2015 the Department of Health had 11,402 registered patients and program participants. According to its website, it had 13,244 valid patients at the end of March.
Spokeswoman for the DOH, Janice Okubo said the increase is in part thanks to improvements to the process. On Feb. 17 DOH announced a new online registry which meant registration cards could be issued in three to five business days, a substantial increase from the year before, when it took six to eight weeks.
"With the licensing of medical marijuana dispensaries, the department is gearing up to accommodate a possible increase in registered patients," Okubo told PBN in an email. "Other states with dispensaries have seen the number of registered patients sometimes double as a result of improved access."
On April 15, eight licenses will be doled out to groups and businesses that will handle the cultivation, dispensing and product manufacturing of medical marijuana.
One applicant for the license Brian Goldsten told PBN in an email, "As patients, caregivers and physicians achieve a better understanding of medical marijuana, how it can help with certain medical conditions and how it will be dispensed, we expect more people to become registered."
Meanwhile, Mari's Garden in Central Oahu, which is one of the largest aquaponics farms in the United States, could be adding a medical marijuana growing operation to its mix, according to public documents.
News Moderator: Robert Celt 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Number Of Hawaii Medical Marijuana Patients Jump And Could Double
Author: Kathleen Gallagher
Contact: Pacific Business News
Photo Credit: Youtube
Website: Pacific Business News
In Jan. 2015 the Department of Health had 11,402 registered patients and program participants. According to its website, it had 13,244 valid patients at the end of March.
Spokeswoman for the DOH, Janice Okubo said the increase is in part thanks to improvements to the process. On Feb. 17 DOH announced a new online registry which meant registration cards could be issued in three to five business days, a substantial increase from the year before, when it took six to eight weeks.
"With the licensing of medical marijuana dispensaries, the department is gearing up to accommodate a possible increase in registered patients," Okubo told PBN in an email. "Other states with dispensaries have seen the number of registered patients sometimes double as a result of improved access."
On April 15, eight licenses will be doled out to groups and businesses that will handle the cultivation, dispensing and product manufacturing of medical marijuana.
One applicant for the license Brian Goldsten told PBN in an email, "As patients, caregivers and physicians achieve a better understanding of medical marijuana, how it can help with certain medical conditions and how it will be dispensed, we expect more people to become registered."
Meanwhile, Mari's Garden in Central Oahu, which is one of the largest aquaponics farms in the United States, could be adding a medical marijuana growing operation to its mix, according to public documents.
News Moderator: Robert Celt 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Number Of Hawaii Medical Marijuana Patients Jump And Could Double
Author: Kathleen Gallagher
Contact: Pacific Business News
Photo Credit: Youtube
Website: Pacific Business News
