Pot dispensaries open new debates

Hawaii has arrived at a new juncture in medical marijuana policy after following a circuitous path, being one of the states in the front of the pack and then falling behind. Among the first to legalize the medical use of cannabis products in 2000, it had for years lagged behind other states in creating the industrial structures to make that use practical: legalized dispensaries.

The opening of the state’s first dispensaries last week brought sighs of relief to the roughly 18,000 registered patients now certified to buy the products sold there.

No other source of cannabis had been available to them other than to grow it for their own use. Not everyone was suited to doing that, which meant that many got it through illicit sales, which meant no quality control at all.

Under the 2015 statute, the dispensaries could have opened as early as a year ago. However, the need to certify laboratories for testing the products to be sold — a task assigned to the state Department of Health (DOH), the agency in charge of oversight — took longer than that.

DOH officials resisted the pressure to speed things up, noting that in other states, insufficient care with laboratory analysis had allowed impurities and contaminants to find their way into the product. They were right to take precautions, even if it meant business interests with a lot invested had to wait before starting to recoup startup costs.

Although the new industry is only in its embryonic stages, it’s not too early to start contemplating where the next steps should take Hawaii. The first step would be to reconcile the assertion on one hand that it is a dangerous drug, and the finding on the other hand that it has medicinal value.

A majority of states have granted varying degrees of legality to the drug. The federal government, meanwhile, still ranks it among the most dangerous drugs and attaches severe penalties even for possession of small amounts.

At a minimum, this disconnect must be resolved by the federal government. U.S. Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., has taken a step in that direction by introducing a bill to amend the Controlled Substance Act to eliminate marijuana’s status as a Schedule 1 drug.

This would decriminalize it at the federal level, and it makes sense. Schedule 1 drugs are found to be easily abused and to have no medicinal value. Medical applications for cannabis and its chemical components have been well established.

Another stage in the advance of the business lies ahead in 2018. The law establishes Jan. 1 as a date when DOH can begin looking at reciprocity, allowing visitors from states where marijuana is legal for at least medicinal use to purchase products here.

Other issues to be resolved locally lie just beyond the horizon. One is the issue of edible cannabis products: They are not yet on sale here — the testing labs have not evaluated these yet.

But they will be before long, and the public should be made aware that new products, regardless of sales being restricted only to permitted patients, are sure to find their way into the general marketplace. Lawmakers setting aside funds ought to make sure some money is allotted for public education.

Be aware that cannabis candies may appeal to children and youth who may be tempted to try them as a lark. Once they’re available: These are potent medications that should not be treated as candy or marketed to young people.

Even the plant product is being marketed and sold under names that seem a bit lighthearted for a product that ought to be branded as medicine. Brand names such as Chocolope, Blue Dream and Lemon Drop are some of the strains of cannabis being sold.

Lawmakers should ensure that the industry grows up and treats the issue seriously. They should stay on top of branding issues, and see to it at the very least that children are not the targets of marketing efforts.

The fledgling industry must stay focused on meeting the needs of current patients, not trying to grow the next generation of new customers. Dispensaries must steer clear of youth-focused advertising practices such as those adopted by the tobacco companies decades ago.

And parents must instruct their children not to consume anything unfamiliar. It may look like a hard candy but — especially given the uneven dosage in such products — pack a wallop that could harm a child.

Assuming such sensible precautions are taken, having a carefully supervised and regulated dispensary system to sell safe products is a benefit to the state at large. Cannabis may address some of the same ailments that otherwise have been treated with more dangerous painkillers, such as opioids.

It’s time for Congress to shed its ambivalence about the legal clash over cannabis; businesses supporting the new industry deserve assurance that they won’t be criminally liable.

Hawaii and the rest of the country simply must come to terms with cannabis being part of the medical landscape — even ultimately becoming an asset.