On Friday the Conference Committee met to discuss SB1058 SD2 HD2 which sets up the Medical Cannabis Task Force to study the program in Hawaii and submit recommendations back to the legislature for positive changes to it.
Senator Espero proposed additional changes to the composition of the task force, which meant that the committee could not vote on the bill, but had to put it off again to look over his proposed changes.
The proposed changes include removing the Attorney General from the task force and replacing him with someone from the ACLU; Removing one of the two physicians on the task force and requiring the one that remains to be a specialist in pain management; Adding 2 registered patients along with a registered caregiver appointed by the governor; and adding someone from the Department of Agriculture.
They have rescheduled the Conference Committee hearing for Tuesday, April 28th at 10:30 a.m. in conference room 312 at the state capitol. Testimony can not be given, but we are able to sit there quietly and listen to the legislators debate the bill. Hopefully they will vote on and approve the bill at that time.
RC Anderson, Ph.D.
