Hawaii Senate Bill #862 was signed into law by then Governor Benjamin Cayetano in June of 200, and became effective the same year in December.

 The new law decriminalized the cultivation, use, and possession of medical marijuana for the purpose of alleviating stress and pain in patients who have obtained a document from a state-licensed physician to the effect that said patient has a debilitating and/or chronic condition that would, in theory, be alleviated by the administration of medical marijuana. Hawaii runs a confidential and mandatory marijuana registry that is the only agency allowed to issue patient ID cards to approved patients. Out of state patients must also register with the Hawaii state registry or face penalties up to and including criminal charges.

The conditions under which medical marijuana may be used and administered in the state of Hawaii include:

A positive diagnosis of HIV/AIDS, glaucoma, cancer, any type of wasting syndrome, such as cachexia, chronic pain, chronic nausea, seizures associated with epilepsy, PTSD, and chronic spasm of the muscles associated with either Crohn’s disease or multiple sclerosis.

Patient registry fee is $35.00 per year, with a one time portal entry fee of $3.50.

Patients and their primary caregivers can possess up to four ounces of medical marijuana at a time. Patients and their primary caregivers may have up to ten plants in cultivation at any one time.