Not even open a week, Hawaii’s first medical marijuana dispensary, Maui Grown Therapies, had to close its doors Saturday when they ran out of cannabis flowers.
The fact that they had only the flowers to sell in the first place was a point of hot contention. Though the dispensary had planned to open with a full range of concentrates, edibles, oils and topicals, and were approved to do so, the state testing labs were not certified in time to test anything but flowers.
The next round of flowers was supposed to hit Saturday, but there were delays and now Maui Grown Therapies will be closed today and Tuesday while they wait for the next batch. It’s very frustrating for owners and patients alike, because if the dispensary was able to provide the medicine in all its different forms, there would be enough for thousands more patients, according to the Associated Press.
Because of supply and demand, the Maui dispensary is also changing its store hours. Originally slated for 10am to 7pm, Monday through Saturday with walk-in service, they will now be open 12pm to 6pm. For now. Patients will also need to make appointments through the dispensary website. It seems that Hawaii’s system still has some flux to deal with.
Christopher Cole is the Product Manager for Maui Grown Therapies. He told the AP that, “It’s unfortunate that an administrative hindrance of this magnitude prevents patients from getting the help they need.”
It is unfortunate, as patients have been waiting since 2000, when medical cannabis was first approved, to have a legal and tenable way to obtain their medicine. Some patients are infirmed and incapable of growing their own medicine, others turn back to the black market. We can only hope that it’s not stigma holding up the concentrates and other cannabis products from becoming available to those who need them most.
The dispensary was approved to sell said concentrates and topical products on May 24th, but it is now uncertain when actual sales will commence or more accurately, when they’ll be able to be tested. Comfortingly, at least there is purportedly plenty of product at the ready.
At the present moment, the Aloha State can only hope that more flowers roll in Wednesday and that as many patients can be served as possible this coming week, without having another closure.
