Oahu’s first medical marijuana dispensary sells out

Three days after opening Oahu’s first medical marijuana dispensary, Aloha Green Holdings Inc. said it has sold out of cannabis.

The dispensary said it could not keep up with demand at its South King Street shop, with consistently long lines and waits of 1-1/2 hours. Hundreds of customers bought the island’s first legally marketed marijuana before the supply was exhausted, Aloha Green said.

The store will be closed until 11 a.m. Wednesday to replenish its five marijuana strains, including Chocolope, Holy Grail Kush and 24-karat Gold.

“Three times the expected number of patients came to purchase medicine at Aloha Green, the only dispensary open in Honolulu,” the company said in a news release. “The consistent line forming outside Aloha Green’s entrance throughout the day had to be cut short before the official (7 p.m.) closing time on all three days.”

The company said it did not expect “such an unprecedented turnout.” Before its 11 a.m. opening Wednesday, there were about 40 people in line to purchase pakalolo. Aloha Green assumed that at least one other Oahu dispensary would be operational by now.

However, the company was quick to insist that it has no shortage of pot at its North Shore production center.

“Production has been boosted. We have enough product at the production facility to catch up with demand,” said Tai Cheng, chief operating officer. “This issue comes from our goal to be first to market and the constraints with lab testing. As other testing labs open, there will be less of a delay getting medicine to patients.”

Aloha Green said it would not disclose sales figures for security reasons. Dispensaries are cash-only operations. Banks will not do business with them because marijuana is still a federally illegal drug.

Meanwhile, Maui Grown Therapies, which became the state’s first operating dispensary when it opened Tuesday, said it sold out of two of its six strains of cannabis. Maui Grown said it served more than 200 patients in its first three days.

The company opted for a “soft opening” with sales by appointment only and limited hours of operation to “slowly release some of Maui’s pent-up demand.”

“We’ve been purposely managing flow, and we don’t really expect our full opening until Monday,” said spokeswoman Teri Gorman.

Maui Grown said it intended to start selling derivatives such as oils, lotions and tinctures but could not offer its full product line because there is no lab certified to test manufactured products.

“It’s pretty upsetting. We get a lot of people that are pretty unhappy about this,” Gorman said. “We have a lot of mature customers, the elderly people, (who) don’t want to smoke. It’s ironic because DOH (the state Department of Health) is the one that put in all these rules against smoking, yet they’re forcing people to smoke right now.”

In addition, it has been taking longer than anticipated to get mandatory lab test results released in the state’s seed-to-sale tracking system, which has had a number of glitches, she said.

“We’re watching the clock, waiting to hear if we will have enough product for our patients” for the Monday opening to the general public, Gorman said.

There is currently only one certified marijuana testing lab in the state, Steep Hill Hawaii.

Chris Whelen, chief of DOH’s State Laboratories Division, said Friday that the department is waiting for two others — PharmLabs Hawaii and Clinical Laboratories of Hawaii — to complete the required information for certification.

The state issued licenses to eight medical marijuana companies last year. Each company is allowed to open two dispensaries. The dispensaries must test their pot through a state-approved lab before selling it.

“The holdup is not due to the DOH State Laboratories Division,” Whelen said. “These laboratories will be certified once they demonstrate an ability to do the testing. Until they do so, the ball is in their court.”

He added that Steep Hill has not yet applied with the DOH to be certified for full testing of manufactured cannabis products.

“We are experiencing the growing pains of a new industry, and our team is appreciative of everyone’s patience and support,” said James Lee, Aloha Green’s CEO. “Even with the hiccups and challenges, every patient has approached us with understanding and excitement. We are confident that demand will be met and exceeded once all eight licensees are operational.”

As of July 31 there were 18,004 registered medical cannabis patients statewide.