Jacob Redmond
Well-Known Member
The process to determine Hawaii's first medical marijuana dispensary license holders will likely be based on a point scale, state officials said Wednesday.
But just how transparent the application process will be has yet to be determined.
Medical marijuana has been legal in the Islands for 15 years, but this year's Act 241 sets up guidelines for the first retail system of up to 16 dispensaries statewide.
Hawaii Department of Health Director of Communications Janice Okubo told PBN that categories and criteria are being developed and will be announced toward the end of this year, before application forms are made public in January. License awardees will be announced in April.
"It is likely that the selection process will be similar to the state's Request for Proposal process which typically uses a point-based system," she said. "Categories and criteria are being developed for future announcement toward the end of this year."
Criteria could include an evaluation of each applicant's financial standing, security, ability to deliver patient care, testing of product, and more.
The new law requires applicants to have $1.2 million in the bank, but experts with experience on the Mainland predict start-up costs to ranging from $3 million to $7 million.
Hawaii Department of Health officials say they are consulting with the state Attorney General about whether or not applicant names will be made public, and if so, when.
In Nevada, where applicant names were not released, at least five companies that lost bids for the state's first medical marijuana licenses filed lawsuits against the state, claiming the lack of transparency was unfair.
This month in New York, five of 43 applicants were selected to grow and sell medical marijuana.
Hawaii attorney Stephen Pingree told PBN that, based on New York news reports, it would seem that lawyers soliciting disappointed applicants could file litigation.
"Several of my clients have raised the concern about how transparent the merit selection process with Hawaii DOH will be," he said.
News Moderator: Jacob Redmond 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Hawaii medical marijuana dispensary licenses likely to be awarded on point scale - Pacific Business News
Author: Lorin Eleni Gill
Contact: Contact Us - Pacific Business News
Photo Credit: Rick Romer
Website: Business News - The Business Journals
But just how transparent the application process will be has yet to be determined.
Medical marijuana has been legal in the Islands for 15 years, but this year's Act 241 sets up guidelines for the first retail system of up to 16 dispensaries statewide.
Hawaii Department of Health Director of Communications Janice Okubo told PBN that categories and criteria are being developed and will be announced toward the end of this year, before application forms are made public in January. License awardees will be announced in April.
"It is likely that the selection process will be similar to the state's Request for Proposal process which typically uses a point-based system," she said. "Categories and criteria are being developed for future announcement toward the end of this year."
Criteria could include an evaluation of each applicant's financial standing, security, ability to deliver patient care, testing of product, and more.
The new law requires applicants to have $1.2 million in the bank, but experts with experience on the Mainland predict start-up costs to ranging from $3 million to $7 million.
Hawaii Department of Health officials say they are consulting with the state Attorney General about whether or not applicant names will be made public, and if so, when.
In Nevada, where applicant names were not released, at least five companies that lost bids for the state's first medical marijuana licenses filed lawsuits against the state, claiming the lack of transparency was unfair.
This month in New York, five of 43 applicants were selected to grow and sell medical marijuana.
Hawaii attorney Stephen Pingree told PBN that, based on New York news reports, it would seem that lawyers soliciting disappointed applicants could file litigation.
"Several of my clients have raised the concern about how transparent the merit selection process with Hawaii DOH will be," he said.
News Moderator: Jacob Redmond 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Hawaii medical marijuana dispensary licenses likely to be awarded on point scale - Pacific Business News
Author: Lorin Eleni Gill
Contact: Contact Us - Pacific Business News
Photo Credit: Rick Romer
Website: Business News - The Business Journals
