Hawaii’s Health Department has issued a bid request for an online system to track in real time medical marijuana inventory and sales at dispensaries statewide in 2016.

The Office of Health Care Assurance, which regulates and licenses health-care facilities, agencies and organizations, has issued a request for proposals for a computer software tracking system that will run 24-hours a day, according to Keith Ridley, chief of the department’s Office of Health Care Assurance.

“This is another major step forward to implement the medical marijuana program to ensure access for Hawaii patients and caregivers,” Ridley said in a news release. “After researching various options, the department determined a web-based software system would be the most effective and user-friendly way for licensees and state officials to collect and report seed-to-sale tracking information to ensure public safety and patient safety, and licensees will be required to utilize a tracking system. We are also exploring how other entities such as law enforcement officers or laboratories can also securely access the information.”

The system will be used to track products from seed to sale or disposal, and will collect detailed inventory and sales information including:

>> The total amount of marijuana at each dispensary, in the form of seeds or plants, including all plants that are derived from cuttings or cloning, until the cannabis or plants, or manufactured pot products are sold or destroyed;

>> The total amount of manufactured marijuana product inventory, including the equivalent physical weight of pot that is used to manufacture marijuana products or purchased by a qualifying patient and primary caregiver from retail dispensing locations in any 15-day period;

>> The amount of unused plant material produced by each plant at harvest; and

>> The transport of marijuana and manufactured cannabis products between production centers and retail dispensing locations, including tracking identification issued by the tracking system, the identity of the person transporting the drug or manufactured cannabis products, and how the items are transported.

Gov. David Ige signed in July 2015 Act 241, which allows for dispensaries to begin selling medical marijuana to qualifying patients or primary caregivers on July 15. Under the law, a total of eight dispensary licenses may be issued: three on Oahu, two each on the Big Island and Maui, and one for Kauai. Each dispensary licensee will be allowed to operate up to two production centers with up to 3,000 marijuana plants each and two retail stations for a total of 16 centers and 16 dispensaries statewide.

The request for proposals is available online at http://health.hawaii.gov/medicalmarijuana. The contract award is expected to be made by Dec. 23.