Legal sales of medical cannabis in Hawaii began after patients waited 17 years to purchase the plant through a state dispensary.

Maui Grown Therapies received approval from the Department of Health to sell medical cannabis on Tuesday. The dispensary has been pre-registering patients and will begin selling product to patients by appointment only.

“Clearly this is a historic day not just for Maui but for the state of Hawaii,” Teri Freitas Gorman, director of community relations and patient affairs, said. “This is the first time in Hawaii that patients will be able to buy lab-tested, quality-assured medical cannabis from a state-licensed dispensary.”

Hawaii legalized medical cannabis in 2000, but didn’t legalize dispensaries until 2015. Eighteen thousand patients were either left to grow the plant themselves or were forced to acquire it through illegal means.