State dispensaries could start selling medical marijuana to visitors under bills being considered at the Legislature.

Hawaii would recognize out-of-state cardholders through so-called reciprocity so tourists would be able to purchase and use the drug legally while in the islands. Currently, only certified local patients can legally use pakalolo.

“We became the first state in the nation to legalize cannabis for medical use only. Nonetheless, it’s been a bureaucratic mess, and the state has been behind the eight ball as patients needlessly wait on the sidelines for their medicine,” said state Rep. John Mizuno (D, Kalihi Valley), chairman of the House Health and Human Services Committee. “Hawaii’s No. 1 industry is tourism, and it would behoove the state … (to) recognize reciprocity. Everyone knows throughout the U.S. that you can’t travel with your medical cannabis. It would be important for the state of Hawaii to allow access to medicine for our visitors who support our top industry. It could generate a lot.”

Lawmakers are scheduled to hear a reciprocity bill at 10:30 a.m. today, as well as measures that would allow patients to use a device (similar to vaping) to get the drug into the body faster. Other legislation would allow patients to establish a relationship with a certifying doctor through telehealth technology, as well as allowing the counties to have medical cannabis collectives, where a group of people cultivate pot.

Legislators are also contemplating the establishment of a medical cannabis control and regulation office in the Department of Health and decriminalizing medical use of the drug, which is still considered federally illegal.

“In light of (U.S. Attorney General Jeff) Sessions’ recent memo (giving federal prosecutors the power to decide which cases to prosecute when state rules are in conflict with federal laws), right now there’s just a big question mark throughout the nation on what the feds are going to do,” said state Rep. Will Espero (D, Ewa Beach). “We’re saying at the very least our medical cannabis program is a legitimate program run by our state. It’s about providing relief for our registered patients, and there is no criminal activity.”

Carl Bergquist, executive director of the Drug Policy Forum of Hawaii, said this session’s priorities are to end a prohibition on interisland travel, protect patients from employment discrimination, allow them to consume medicine in public (except smoking) and add “substance use disorder” as a qualifying condition for using the drug. In addition, the group is pushing to allow medicinal pot to be used in workers’ compensation cases and make it easier for bedridden hospice patients to become certified to use the drug, he said.

There are currently four dispensaries — Aloha Green Apothecary and Noa Botanicals on Oahu and Maui Grown Therapies and Pono Life Maui. Cure Oahu is expected to open within weeks, while Green Aloha on Kauai is slated to start marijuana sales this month by appointment only. Two others, on Hawaii island, are projected to open by the summer, said Keith Ridley, who oversees the medical cannabis program for the state Health Department. There were 20,279 medical marijuana cardholders as of Jan. 31.

“The department expects once all the dispensaries are up, there will be adequate supply,” Ridley said. “They’re ramping up to care for more patients, whether patients are here in state or whether at some point we have reciprocity.”