(Photo courtesy Hawaiian Ethos) Hawaiian Ethos hosted a traditional blessing of their Kona dispensary by Kahu Danny ‘Kaniela’ Akaka, Jr. and his wife Anna.

(BIVN) – The first medical cannabis production center on Hawai‘i Island has been issued a Notice to Proceed.

The Hawai‘i State Department of Health says licensee Hawaiian Ethos, LLC may now acquire and cultivate cannabis, after passing state inspections. The company, the seventh dispensary licensee in the entire state to complete and operate a medical cannabis production center in the state, “met all requirements to begin growing cannabis and to manufacture cannabis products for medicinal purposes at their approved facility,” health officials say.

“All of the licensees have worked hard to meet state standards to create a quality industry in Hawai‘i that provides a safe product while ensuring patient and public health and safety,” said Keith Ridley, chief of the DOH Office of Health Care Assurance, in a media release. “We will continue to work diligently with Hawaiian Ethos as they complete construction of their second production center and then seek approval for retail sales.”

“Hawaiian Ethos is committed to working with the State and County to comply with all laws and regulations to ensure the health, safety, and confidence of our workers, neighbors, and the entire community,” said Diana Hahn, director of communications at Hawaiian Ethos. “Our goal is to serve Hawai‘i Island residents by cultivating and producing a safe, consistent, and high-quality product that meets the medical needs of registered patients.”

“We continue to diligently work with the county’s agencies to allow our dispensary doors to be opened at the earliest time possible,” said Hahn. “We are thankful for the community’s patience while our state-of-the-art production facilities are completed to insure high-quality production of medical grade cannabis products.”

According to the state:

To receive a Notice to Proceed from DOH, dispensary production centers must comply with the statutory and regulatory requirements of Chapter 329D, HRS and Chapter 11-850, HAR. This includes building a secure, enclosed indoor facility; operating a computer software tracking system that interfaces with the state’s system and submits current inventory data of all marijuana seeds, plants and manufactured products in the production center; and authorization from the Narcotics Enforcement Division of the Hawai‘i, State Department of Public Safety.

A total of eight medical marijuana dispensary licenses were issued in April 2016. Three dispensary licenses for the City and County of Honolulu were issued to Aloha Green Holdings, Inc.; Mānoa Botanicals, LLC; and TCG Retro Market 1, LLC dba Cure Oahu. Two licenses for the County of Hawai‘i were issued to Hawaiian Ethos, LLC and Lau Ola, LLC. Two licenses for the County of Maui were issued to Maui Wellness Group, LLC and Pono Life Sciences Maui, LLC. One license for the County of Kaua‘i was issued to Green Aloha, Ltd. Each dispensary is licensed to operate two production centers and two retail sites for a total of 16 production centers and 16 retail dispensary locations statewide. Each production center may grow up to 5,000 cannabis plants.

More information on the Medical Cannabis Dispensary Program is available on the DOH website.