The Hawaii Department of Health has released new statistics regarding medical marijuana use throughout the state. Those numbers confirm that Hawaii County has almost twice as many medical marijuana patients as Oahu. Of those patients, 11-percent live in Pahoa.
In June, there were a total of 6,101 patients living on Hawaii Island. There are 14,492 patients statewide, meaning that 42-percent of the state’s medical marijuana patients live in one concentrated area, reports West Hawaii Today. Pahoa has 702 medical marijuana patients with a population of 14,565 total residents. Hilo has nearly the same population as Pahoa, but only 639 medical marijuana patients. Kona chimes in with 705 patients and Oahu reports 3,408 patients.
Chairwoman of the Big Island chapter of Americans for Safe Access Andrea Tischler said, “The Big Island is a (draw) for open-minded, liberal, more alternative folks. And in Pahoa, people don’t have that resistance to using cannabis that others in the population might have. They use it not just for medical use, but also for recreational use, so they’re more open-minded because they know it helps them.”
Posting the statistics of patient numbers is done in an effort to help potential new dispensary owners decide where the best location is to open a store. The Department of Health, according to an emailed statement from spokeswoman Janice Okubo, will post statistics of patient concentrations yearly and use this information to help determine where to issue future dispensary licenses.
Additional licenses may start being approved on October 1, 2017. The state regulations restrict dispensaries to one per 500 patients living in a county.
Only one-third of Hawaii’s medical marijuana patients are female, with more than 60-percent being over age 60. Reports also show that 70-percent of medical marijuana patients are using the medicine for pain, and 13-percent for muscle spasms. The remaining 17-percent are comprised of cancer patients, PTSD, seizures, HIV/AIDS, nausea, glaucoma, and cachexia sufferers.
Senator Josh Green said, “By 2018, there will be 30,000 [medical marijuana patients] and by 2020 somewhere between 60,000 and 85,000.”
Senator Green estimates that the changes to marijuana laws on the state level are loosening the stigma of marijuana. He said, “It’s clear that it will be a significant part of the medical economy. I’m very convinced we’ve had an artificial bottleneck because of the small number of providers.”
Once dispensaries open, those with medical marijuana cards will be able to immediately access their medication at a retail location.