The initial opening date for the eight approved Hawaiian medical marijuana dispensaries of July 15 is likely going to be delayed. State officials communicated that inspections are not yet completed on the designated dispensaries. All Hawaiian medical marijuana dispensaries must pass inspections prior to opening.
Hawaii has more than 14,000 registered medical marijuana patients. The Hawaii Department of Health, according to West Hawaii Today, does not provide an estimated date for dispensaries to open their doors. The original projection date of July 15 was not set in stone; it served, as an estimated date that the Department of Health initially thought was an appropriate amount of time to complete the formal program setup process.
The Garden Island spokesperson Janice Okubo said, “The Department of Health is unable to predict the progress by each licensee because there are a number of requirements that are outside of our department’s control.”
Hawaii Dispensary Alliance Executive Director, Christopher Garth said, “Green Aloha Ltd. is doing their best to open in a manner that allows their operation to exceed expectation. Hopefully we can have someone opening their doors that have a robust menu and quality tested products by the end of the year.”