(BIVN) – Today is the grand opening of the Big Island Grown medical cannabis dispensary at the Lehua Center in Hilo, at 750 Kanoelehua Avenue.

Lau Ola LLC, doing business as Big Island Grown Dispensaries, was issued a formal notice to proceed from the Hawaiʻi Department of Health, after the dispensary completed laboratory testing requirements and passed the final onsite inspection of its retail facility. The approval makes it the first on dispensary on Hawai‘i Island to begin sales of medical cannabis to registered patients and their caregivers.

Big Island Grown Dispensaries, one of two medical cannabis companies licensed to operate on the Hawaiʻi Island, announced that as a thank you to the community, they will offer “discounted patient appreciation pricing while supplies last.”

“We would like to thank the Big Island community for their patience as we built our facilities and developed our company to grow clean, reliable, lab-tested cannabis medicine that is of the highest quality,” said Dylan Shropshire, Chief Executive Officer, in a media release. “We have over 100 unique strains and phenotypes that we will be rolling out over the next year along with a large diversity of high-quality concentrates and manufactured products.”

The company shared some video taken of the interior of the store.

Shropshire continued: “Our ‘mix and match’ ounce program will enable patients to introduce themselves to new strains at an affordable price by picking up to eight unique strains for the price of an ounce. We plan on always pricing affordably and providing patients with the best in store experience possible.”

“The opening of a medical cannabis dispensary on Hawai‘i Island expands options for registered patients and their caregivers, providing greater access to meet medical needs,” said Michele Nakata, supervisor of the DOH medical cannabis dispensary program. “The licensing program remains committed to working collaboratively with the licensees to protect the safety of patients while ensuring an efficient and thorough inspection and certification process.”

“We want to showcase to our patients and community what they already know; Big Island Grown cannabis medicine is some of the best in the world” said Shropshire.

The second Big Island Grown location will open in January in the Malama Pono Center in Waimea. The final location is expected to open at the end of the month in the Brewers Block in Kona. All patients and caregivers will be required to show a valid government ID and valid 329 card to gain entry.

According to the state:

As of Nov. 30, 2018 there were approximately 6,659 registered patients and 383 caregivers on Hawai‘i Island of the total 23,479 patients and 1,734 caregivers registered statewide. The primary reported condition for adult registered patients is severe pain. The primary reported condition for children under 18 years of age is seizures.

Hawai‘i Revised Statutes Chapter 329D and Hawai‘i Administrative Rules Chapter 11-850 govern the rigorous dispensary approval process to open and begin selling medical cannabis. To ensure the highest standards of quality and care, dispensaries are required to comply with all state and county health and safety regulations. Dispensaries are subject to unannounced inspections by DOH.

Registered patients and their caregivers may purchase up to four ounces of medical cannabis during a 15-consecutive day period and purchase a maximum of eight ounces over a 30-consecutive day period. When bringing medical cannabis home after purchasing it from a dispensary, the medical cannabis must be in a sealed container and not visible to the public.
 
All use of medical cannabis must be on private property and may not be used in a car while on the road, at work, at the beach, on hiking trails, or in any other public space. It is illegal to use or possess medical cannabis on any federally owned property such as military installations and national parks.
 
There are eight medical cannabis licensees in Hawai‘i.