Construction is underway to transform the former longtime Bank of Hawaii building on Kapahulu Avenue into one of the state’s first medical marijuana dispensaries.

Cure Oahu, led by former state Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism worker Tan Yan Chen, has already put signage up and is preparing to open one of Oahu’s three dispensaries.

“We are continuing construction of the retail location and do not plan to do patient outreach until retail tracking and lab testing are available,” said Chen, Cure Oahu’s executive director. “As a result, the opening date continues to be a moving target.”

Bank of Hawaii sold the site of its 55-year-old branch at 727 Kapahulu Ave. for $4.53 million in 2015 to Hono­lulu-based investment firm Tradewind Capital Group, a former partner in Cure Oahu.

The property measures 13,568 square feet, including the 5,434-square-foot building.

Cure Oahu hasn’t yet received approval to grow cannabis from the state Health Department, which is certifying three laboratories to test the marijuana’s potency and purity before sales can begin. Hawaii legalized medical cannabis in 2000, but patients had no legal way to obtain the drug.