Medicinal marijuana users thrill to ‘historic day’ on Oahu

Dozens of patients anxiously stood in line — one as early as the night before — to be the first on Oahu to buy products such as Chocolope and Lemon Drop, medical marijuana strains that went on sale Wednesday.

“It’s like a candy store,” said Kimbreley Timulty, 45, who was among the first to purchase pot at Aloha Green LLC. “It was overwhelming because you walk in there and that’s the only thing that you smell.”

Timulty, who uses marijuana for insomnia and post-traumatic stress disorder, and her 47-year-old husband, Joseph, from Makiki, said they have been waiting 17 years for medicinal pot to be readily available in Hawaii.

“It was like Disneyland. I had to enjoy the ride. It felt like being a kid again,” said Joseph Timulty, a disabled U.S. Coast Guard veteran who plans to use the drug instead of opiates to alleviate what he describes as severe pain. “I’ve been fighting this battle for 47 years really … in my heart. It’s the gateway to get off opiates.”

Oahu’s first medical marijuana dispensary began selling legal pot — including strains named Holy Grail Kush, 24-karat Gold and No. 18 OG — for the first time on Hawaii’s most populous island. There were about 40 customers in line to buy pakalolo when Aloha Green opened at 11 a.m. at the Interstate Building at 1314 South King St. Prices started at $16 a gram.

Maui Grown Therapies in Kahului was the state’s first dispensary to begin cannabis sales on Tuesday.

Kaimuki resident John Ruiz IV was the first person on Oahu to legally buy the drug. He said he uses it for pain relief and insomnia.

“I feel spoiled. I was just lucky enough to be here at the right place at the right time (to be the) first person on Oahu,” said Ruiz, 27. “It’s a great thing for the state. It’s a great way for the state to make money as well as serve the people. They need this for many reasons. I used to buy it on the black market. Today is very significant. I no longer need to break any laws, and I can finally go about worry free.”

Aaron Kagan, a 29-year-old Pearl City resident, has used the drug since he was 18 to alleviate chronic back pain.

“I was taking Percocet and Vicodin (narcotic prescription drugs) as a teenager. I didn’t like the side effects from it,” he said. “As soon as I started medical cannabis, I stopped all narcotic painkillers. It’s an unbelievable help. I’m so happy now that it’s finally come to pass where we are here and we’re about to walk into the first dispensary on Oahu. It’s a historic day, and it brings tears to my eyes.”

Rep. Della Au Belatti (D, Makiki-Tantalus, Papakolea), said that there are still a lot of issues state officials need to deal with as more dispensaries open for business, including banking, visitors with prescriptions from other states and ensuring public safety.

“Whether (people are) under the influence of cannabis or alcohol, we are going to be worried about that,” she said Wednesday at the dispensary. “We’re going to watch that carefully, and we’re going to hopefully put resources towards law enforcement so that they have the trained officials that they need to address drug recognition.”

Medical marijuana was legalized in Hawaii in 2000, but patients had no legal way to obtain the drug. As of July 31, there were 18,004 registered patients, including about 7,000 on Oahu.

Chinatown resident Jared James, 34, said he hopes the community will embrace marijuana now that dispensaries are open in Hawaii.

“It’s so much better than all those other drugs. Opiates work pretty well (for pain relief) but there are a lot of complications with them. There’s huge risks too. One of the side effects is dying,” said James, who uses marijuana for back pain. “Once this dispensary opens, I think it’s going to change the entire culture here. People are going to see it different. They’re still kind of a little bit scared about it. They think it’s illegal and they’re going to go to jail. When you open a dispensary it makes the whole dynamic different. It’s like legit.”