Hawaii Advances Medical Cannabis Access Bill for Health Facilities

Hawaii's House Health Committee and Human Services & Homelessness Committee approved legislation that would permit medical marijuana patients to use their medicine while receiving care at health facilities.

The bill represents Hawaii's entry into a nationwide trend of so-called "Ryan's Law" legislation—named after Ryan Bartell, a California boy with epilepsy who died in 2016 after being denied access to his cannabis medicine during a hospital stay. His story sparked a movement that's now reached at least a dozen states.

Under current Hawaii law, medical cannabis patients lose access to their treatment the moment they enter a hospital, hospice, or long-term care facility. The new measure would change that, though facilities could still establish their own policies around administration and storage.

The Patient Access Gap

Hawaii has operated a medical marijuana program since 2000, with roughly 35,000 registered patients as of last year. Yet those patients face a stark choice when hospitalized: go without their prescribed treatment or risk breaking facility rules.

The legislation doesn't mandate that health facilities allow cannabis use—it simply removes the blanket prohibition. Individual hospitals and care centers would retain authority to set parameters around how and where patients could access their medicine. Many advocates view this opt-in approach as a compromise that addresses facility liability concerns while expanding patient rights.

Similar bills have passed in states including Minnesota, New York, and Illinois over the past five years. The movement gained momentum after Ryan's parents, Mieko and Lanette Bartell, began advocating publicly for policy changes following their son's death.

What's Next

The bill now moves to the House floor for a full vote. If it passes there, it heads to the Senate, where medical cannabis measures have historically faced tougher scrutiny.

Timing matters for patient advocates. Hawaii's legislative session ends in early May, leaving a narrow window for the measure to clear both chambers and reach Governor Josh Green's desk. Green, a physician, hasn't publicly commented on this specific bill but has generally supported expanding medical cannabis access during his tenure.

The legislation also arrives as Hawaii lawmakers consider broader cannabis reforms, including a recreational legalization proposal that cleared its first committee hurdle last month. That measure faces longer odds, but its presence signals growing acceptance of cannabis policy changes in the islands.

For medical patients, though, the health facility access bill addresses an immediate need. Advocates argue that forcing patients to abandon their treatment during hospital stays—often when they're most vulnerable—contradicts the very purpose of Hawaii's medical program.

The House committees passed the measure with bipartisan support, suggesting it may have smoother sailing than more controversial cannabis bills. Still, healthcare facility lobbyists have raised concerns about federal compliance and liability exposure, issues that have slowed similar legislation in other states.

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This article is based on original reporting by www.marijuanamoment.net.