Thor Benson / Cannabis News Box Contributor

Hawaii is working on a new system where medical cannabis patients from other states will be able to purchase medical cannabis in the state. As things stand, it’s illegal for tourists to bring their medical cannabis on a plane when traveling to Hawaii. They’re also not allowed to buy cannabis there, even if they have a medical card from home. This new system will allow them to prove they need medical cannabis and will provide them with a temporary medical card.

“It is illegal for patients to bring their own medical cannabis to Hawaii, so they need to have legal, safe, and reliable access to it once they arrive,” Mason Tvert, a spokesperson for the Marijuana Policy Project, told Cannabis News Box. “Many Hawaii businesses thrive or depend on providing products and services to tourists, and medical cannabis businesses should also be able to serve out-of-state visitors.”

The process of getting a temporary card won’t be entirely simple. Only people who have conditions that are covered by Hawaii’s medical cannabis law will qualify, and you have to apply for it, so it’s not as easy as just showing you have a card from elsewhere. The card will cost around $50 and is valid for two months.

Tourists are not allowed to consume cannabis in public in Hawaii, and there aren’t any cannabis lounges where they can consume, either. You’ll likely have to rely on consuming cannabis, probably in a non-smokable form, wherever you’re staying. This is a problem that has arisen in states across the country.

Karen O’Keefe, director of state policies at the Marijuana Policy Project, said there are multiple aspects of Hawaii’s medical cannabis law that need to be changed. She said everything from how employees are treated to who gets medical cannabis should be updated.

“Hawaii’s medical marijuana law could be improved by adding employment protections to ensure licensed patients are not being punished for using a state-legal medical treatment recommended by their doctors,” O’Keefe told Cannabis News Box. “The law could also be expanded to cover additional medical conditions for which cannabis has been found to be an effective treatment, such as opioid use disorder and autism with self-injurious or aggressive behavior.”

This new system will likely be unveiled next year, and it will surely be very helpful for many people visiting Hawaii who rely on medical cannabis on a daily basis. It also seems likely other states will follow Hawaii’s lead.