 This is Think Tech Hawaii, Community Matters here. Hey, welcome to Out and About on Think Tech Live streaming network series broadcast from our downtown studio at Pioneer Plaza at the core of downtown Honolulu. I'm your host, Winston Welch, and delighted you are joining us today, where every other week we explore a variety of topics, organizations, events, and the people who fuel them in our city, state, nation and world. As a disclaimer, any views or opinions expressed by me are strictly my own, and then sometimes it stops at the top of my head, but they're not connected with any organization that I might be affiliated with. Joining me in the studio today, I am delighted to have Christopher Garth, and we are going to be talking about the Hawaii Dispensary Alliance, which is a patient-centered group of businesses, individuals, and political leaders, educating and advocating on behalf of medical cannabis. And so with that, I'd like you to welcome you to the show today, Chris, and thanks for being here. Winston, thanks so much. It's an honor. It's a privilege not only to be here, but to work with you. It's just been a little while since we've been acquainted with one another, but we've got a lot of things in common and a lot of common goals, and it's good. It's real good to be here. That's true. It's nice to meet people who are on the same page in so many different areas of life. What you're doing, I think, is just really exciting and important and necessary, and you're fighting a battle against almost 100 years of public perception, or 75 years of public perception, and then you're fighting the state, lethargy, and that's probably harder than public perception according to a recent newsletter that you put out. So tell me, what is the Hawaii Dispensary Alliance, and what are your goals and aims in the organization? So you pegged it with the intro, almost as if you read it off of our website, or got it off the website, but congratulations. It's right off the top of your head, and I appreciate that. But we are a patient-centric organization that really looks to create a cannabis marketplace for medical marijuana, or medical cannabis, and the dynamics of the ecology that create an economy based on medical cannabis are pretty simple, pretty straightforward and very similar to any other marketplace, or essentially a Chamber of Commerce, if you will, and that's what we're working to do. We want to promote the ancillary services that make access to cannabis much easier, that make cannabis healthier, safer, and ultimately give back to the community and create a sense of acceptance for medical cannabis as we move forward. And how long have you been established in what you've been doing? Hawaii Dispensary Alliance was founded in 2015, just after the bill was signed to have dispensaries. Just after the bill was signed to have dispensaries. So we had a lot of hubba-vallu about that, because since 2000, was it that we became the first state in the nation to pass medical marijuana laws, but had no way to get it to the patients, no legal way to grow it, or sell it, or buy it, or is that right? Yeah, that's accurate. And I think one of the most important caveats of this point is that Hawaii was the first state to legislate the acceptance of medical cannabis, to program it and be part of the Constitution or part of the state function. And there were other states that passed by referendum or voter initiative earlier, but our legislators took a bold stance in the early 2000s, late 90s, and said, hey, this is real, this is medicine. Let's not criminalize those who actually need it and give them the go-ahead. That being said, for the next 18 years, they didn't really do anything or provide the legal ability or availability of cannabis to get in the hands of those patients who need it most, but that's what happened in 2015. And so in 2015, the law was passed and said, we're going to create a mechanism where people can go into a store and say, here's my medical marijuana card. Let me buy the medicine that I would like to have. Absolutely, that's correct. And we were kind of following on the coattails of some other states on the mainland or even other countries that had really worked out the kinks in one sense or another of what a dispensary should be. And the laws that ultimately govern access to a dispensary. But yeah, that's what happened in 2015. And in the three years since then, there has been slow progress, but progress nonetheless. Very slow progress, because I would say what we have three dispensaries that are functionally open now, is that what it is? That's correct. Four of the licensees have been given the green light to sell. Three of those are open for business on a daily basis. And the fourth one, which is on Maui, is open, but in more of a private consultation capacity. So how many patients are we talking about that are actually being served versus the market that should be being served? Good question. So of the three that we have open, we have the state sees about 500 patients going to essentially each one of those a month. So 1,500 patients are going to three dispensaries. 1,500 out of a population of 1.4 million. Correct. Now, we can tailor that down a little bit by recognizing that there are only 20,000 registered patients by the state of Hawaii in Hawaii. But still, 1,500 out of 20,000 is not a way to support an industry or to create that economy. That's incredible. So you've got 20,000 that have actually said, I'm going to go to the doctor. I'm going to pay some money. I'm going to get a card for my ailment. And it's not a whole bunch of ailments that are actually covered, is it? Well, the Hawaii Dispensary Alliance, along with our allies, have done a really good job over the past three years in educating not only the legislature, but the administration as well to improve the number of qualifying conditions. So in the four years, in the three years that we've been about, we have improved the number by at least six qualifying conditions to make us or to bring us up to speed with the majority of the more progressive medical cannabis states across the nation. Okay. So there you can definitely count some progress towards at least recognizing some conditions, although I'm sure there's a lot that still absolutely need to be recognized. It may not be recognized at this case. But why is there such a difference between the 1,500 and the 20,000 that you've got that have insurance, that have the medical marijuana cards, but that are not going to these dispensaries? Why are they not going to dispensaries? Well, part of it is location. Two of Oahu's Open Dispensaries are about 100 feet away from each other in the central core of Honolulu. And we see, well, previously we had seen the majority of our patients on the Big Island or on Maui. So it's just a matter of maybe location? Location and convenience is one component, but beyond that, as each of these institutions does the best that they can to grow and manufacture and provide their customers or the patients with the best quality of product, they're limited in the availability of the product that they can actually produce. And that's not necessarily because of the law, although it is part of it. It's ultimately because it's cost prohibitive for a single institution to create the entire scope of what's needed to help and aid every single patient's qualifying condition in a form that agrees with their lifestyle. So you mean, are you talking that these companies, let's say these three companies, do they have to literally plant the seeds in the ground, follow them all the way to the store and then only offer them in a smokable form? You have the first part of it correct. This, our medical program is designed as a vertical operation where each licensee has to track from seed to sale. So they grow it, they cure it, they manufacture it, and then they retail it. And they can sell it in smokable flour. There is an opportunity to have oils and other tinctures. We don't have edibles yet, we don't have vape cartridges, but we have workarounds that the legislature has been very accommodating in a more grand sense to allow the availability of different products to come to market. But in the end, the lack of resources and the lack of variety in these dispensaries comes down to the simple fact that they themselves are responsible for the production of the entire array of everything that they want to sell. So if they don't make it, then they don't sell it? That's correct. So your group is a group of a lot of different kinds of businesses, and maybe they want to be involved in maybe manufacturing different types of things. Maybe people would rather have a lozenge or some gum or some brownies as a cliche. It is cliche, but it's appropriate. And it's not only the brownies, if you will, or the lozenge or the gum, but it's the different varietals, the different strains, the different cultivars, which is the new term of what a patient needs. Right now, each dispensary at any given point has somewhere between five and seven different cultivars, different strains that they turn into different product. But if you go into a dispensary in a medical state or into even an adult use or rec state where they have a horizontally operated program, you have hundreds, if not thousands, of different strains, different THC, different CBD content, different ways, again, product to imbibe. And we've actually limited ourselves in an incredible fashion by limiting the number of players. And the way that those players are responsible for essentially creating their own destiny. So it would be a similar situation might be likened to, although because we're talking medical use, I don't want to go to the obvious one of alcohol, but let's say alcohol, where you are allowed two bars in the city and those bars sell three kinds of beer. And that's it. That's it. If you don't like those three kinds of beers in those two locations, then what do we do? What are some of the obstacles that we're really looking at here that we need to overcome that are just clear and obvious? There are a lot of considerations with that. And none of them are wildly popular with, we'll call it the oligopoly. The eight licensees who host those licenses and their investors want to see and ultimately need to see a return on their investment. There's absolutely nothing wrong with that. They should be encouraged to do their best not only for their bottom line but for the patients. And there's a balance to it. However, in their determination to keep that market, the cannabis market in Hawaii as small and limited as possible, they're ultimately tripping over their own feet. In response to that, it's been our experience and the experience of our cannabis community as a whole. The legislators ultimately want to see these eight licensees get that return on their investment. They don't want to see them fail. I can't imagine that there are a lot of people out there that want to see a business fail. The only people who may are those who would rather have received that license or that accreditation to play in the market. That's unfortunate. All eight of these licensees should be encouraged to prosper. But in their short-sighted attempt to control the market and to keep other competition or other interests at bay, they're shooting themselves in the foot, plain and simple. So maybe some actions that you have about this, I know you've created a super pack here in Hawaii that's going to help advance the agenda by contributing to specific legislative campaigns. That's not quite exactly it. So a super pack is a non-candidate direct program. So the super pack doesn't actually go to a campaign and say, hey, we want to contribute. That is illegal. That's definitely not what the super pack does. That's what a 501C4 usually does or a 501C3, which is a candidate direct spending organization. Super pack doesn't. They're issue-focused and they say, hey, this is the issue. People should get involved. And so it's an educational form as it's what it's going to be. And what is the name of that super pack if people want to know more about that? You can check it out at www.hi as in hi, the number four and cann.org. www.hi. Number four. Number four. Cann.org. And that's short for Hawaii for responsible cannabis use. Hawaii for responsible cannabis use. Absolutely. Okay, we're going to take a short break. I'm Winston Weltson. We're having a very interesting discussion out and about on Think Tech Live Streaming Network series. We'll be back in just a moment. Aloha. I'm Keeley Ikeena and I'm here every other week on Mondays at 2 o'clock p.m. on Think Tech Hawaii's Hawaii Together. In Hawaii Together we talk with some of the most fascinating people in the islands about working together, working together for a better economy, government and society. So I invite you into our conversation every other Monday at 2 p.m. on Think Tech Hawaii Broadcast Network. Join us for Hawaii Together. I'm Keeley Ikeena. Aloha. Planning all week for the day of the big game. Watching at home just doesn't feel the same. What on the list is who's going to drive? It's nice to know you're going to get home alive. Planning for fun and responsibility. Choose the DG. Captain of our team. It's the DG. For every game day, assign a designated driver. Aloha. And we're back. We're live. I'm Winston Welton. This is out and about on Think Tech Live streaming network series. We're talking with Chris Garth, dedicated and passionate. I'm going to call you even a public servant from the Hawaii Dispensary Alliance. Even though you don't work for the state, you work for a group of organizations promoting responsible use of, can we say cannabis or is it just medical cannabis? Are we talking recreational as well? Okay. So great question. The issue at hand is medical cannabis, right? But recognizing the shortfallings of the industry, the failings of it essentially, patients aren't getting the access that they need. We only have 20,000 out of 1.4 million. Now, I don't expect everybody to use cannabis. It's just for whatever ALSM and a therapeutic manner in a medicinal manner, that makes perfect sense. But we should be significantly higher as a patient population. Maybe 2 to 3% of the patient population is a medical user registered and accounted for. Here we have 20,000 registered patients out of our vast population, general population in Hawaii. 1,500 we've established are essentially going to the dispensaries. At least of the registered patients, an incredible number in the lurch because they're not getting their cannabis. The only way that we see fit as the Hawaii Dispensary Alliance, that we see fit for them to get their cannabis is to encourage an adult use or a recreational market. It levels the playing field, allows for more competition, provides diversity and ultimately inclusion in that market. And inclusion is a huge component to seeing any market or any economy actually survive or thrive. If you have an oligopoly or just a few people at the table, they're the only ones that are calling the shots and they're the only ones that see any benefit from it. That limited amount of power really doesn't play well for the people who need access to it or desire an opportunity to participate in that. And as a trade association, that's really what we're all about. How do we get the patients what they need and how do we encourage the businesses to provide what they need? Because you're essentially a business Chamber of Commerce, are you not? We are. We're a self-declared 501C6. You're C6. Right? So we're a Chamber of Commerce. We're a business league. We're a trade association much like the Rainbow Chamber of Commerce. Rainbow Chamber of Commerce. So you're really trying to promote business here in a responsible, legal, safe manner. Exactly. And as we've seen in other states, some of them have shockingly legalized marijuana. You can buy marijuana. You can walk into a store like walking into a store. Just buy your recreational marijuana in whatever form you see fit. And somehow the sky has not fallen. In fact, we're seeing, I think if we look at some of these states, Colorado, Washington, Oregon, Nevada, the numbers are staggering with the revenue that they're getting. And also with the other side where people say, well, if we start legalizing this, Chris, there's going to be reefer madness. Kids aren't going to go to school. Everyone's going to be laying in the streets. You know, all of these kind of myths that are stuck in our heads somewhere. But you have lots of evidence to the contrary on this. I think a really excellent newsletter that you just put out that came out. And let's see, what's the title of your... Is it just part of the newsletter that you sent out in January? This is... We always call it the cannabis insider. And we have a staff member, Kevin Whitten, if you're out there listening. You do an incredible job for us. Thank you very much. We couldn't be who we are without you. So Kevin Whitten, formerly of Green Magazine, puts this together, works with us in the office every day. And he really hits the pavement making sure that we have the best coverage from across the industry, not only locally, but nationwide and internationally as well to make sure that the perspective is covered, that the information is there, that the facts are correct. Yes. And when you read this, it's very clear, simple, direct. It's an excellent summary of where we're at in Hawaii and where we need to move toward to in the direction and how we need to do it. It's a good roadmap about advocacy, education, policies that need to be changed. So given that these other states have already done this, our Western brothers and sisters, California, I think, Alaska. In fact, I guess it's all the West Coast. Every single West Coast state, aside from us, has gone with an adult use recreational program. And in this next year coming up, we're seeing this across the nation, not just in the West, but maybe in the Northeast and in the Midwest. Absolutely. And in the South as well. And even in the South. So we're seeing a groundswell of reality hitting that says, people want to use POD. It's safe, non-toxic. You don't get spikes in emergency room admissions. You know, when we compare this, I mean, it's an adult product that people may choose or choose not to use. But when we don't legalize it, of course, we're criminalizing what percent of the population that does actually use cannabis. Do you have any statistics? I don't know the statistics, but it's incredible, right? And let's go back to something that you pointed out. While everyone may be, well, while certain sectors of society may be afraid of what could happen with an adult use program, people lying in the streets, Winston, they're already in the streets. The United States as well as Hawaii are in the throes of an opioid epidemic. If you haven't noticed, that's what's happening. Every single neighborhood has vagrancy. They have new shopping carts that disappear out of nowhere. That's not because of cannabis. It's not because of some strange thing that's happening in Hawaii or in your neighborhood. That's opioid addiction. That is, it's sweeping across our communities. Cannabis has been effective as an exit drug for people who have opioid addiction disorder. There's actually a bill that's coming out in this legislative session that aims to address that to say, hey, if you do suffer clinically from opioid addiction disorder, let's allow you to access cannabis as an exit drug. Really, it's some forward thinking that in these bills, and this year you said there's over 90 bills that are in the legislature and you're tracking several of the more important ones, that like this, I mean obviously it has to start somewhere, what can we do as ordinary citizens who would be calling our legislators or how do we even track these bills and know what's important? Where do we look? So Hawaii Dispensory Alliance keeps everybody up to speed on what's happening legislatively. Being involved in politics as long as I have at the local level, it's kind of a passion of mine. So we nerd out and we post here and there and we encourage everyone to read up on what's out there and we provide hearing notices. We share that with our membership or on social media and we even help you provide or draft testimony if you choose to engage. Definitely calling your representative, calling your senator, is a huge part of it, but keep in mind, ladies and gentlemen, this is an election year, so get out there and make sure that you ask the questions appropriately to people running in your neighborhood, for your neighborhood board or for your city council seat, for your house seat or for your senate seat, even the lieutenant governor and the governor seat are up for reelection or if not change. That opportunity is all yours and do your due diligence. If you have questions, don't hesitate. Reach out to the whole dispensary alliance. If it's cannabis related, we're happy to help and provide you with as much information as possible. I think that's really important to have people realize it's their responsibility, it's their duty as citizens to become involved in issues that are important, not just to them, but to the community. And as you say, we need to be looking at cannabis. It's not a problem, but it's a solution. We need to be looking at this as a way to turn around our economy or enhance our economy that is based on tourism. We could have a can of tourism economy here very easily. I mean, it's already, we have that reputation, I think, in some sense anyway of Maui Waori and Kona Gold, but if we could just say, yeah, this is safe, it's legal, it's available, it's easy, it's locally sourced, it's organic, this is this trade. You're talking huge numbers of jobs and businesses that are going to be created and attacks revenue as well. Right. So, I mean, the arguments in favor of cannabis are huge, right? Through a well-regulated, robust, and diverse program. They're phenomenal. As far as returns for the state are financially, it's unmatched. Well, I guess the only thing better would be government dollars and actual tourism itself in its heart, right? That's where most of the money comes from for a state. But as far as job creation goes, as far as education goes, specifically with cannabis, there's so much that can benefit everyone in Hawaii if they want to get involved. And again, this is the business community leader in me that says, hey, let's come together, let's create these other institutions around cannabis and that's our avenue, that's our opportunity as a whole. Convincing everyone to participate is a little bit more trying than it should be and that's the reality that's facing the Hawaii Dispensary Alliance right now, as well as the cannabis industry as a whole. People want to coast. They think that somebody else is going to do it for them. And as you mentioned, it's up to them. And we're taking a good stance right now, very firm in our commitment to bringing medical cannabis to Hawaii. Unfortunately, we've been blocked in several capacities. So, hey, let's flip the script. If you want cannabis, let's make it legal. And do something about it. And just know right that if, you know, if you're having any quandaries about this and you're thinking, well, I'm not sure about this. Is this, is this, is this, no, so someone else is going to do something if it's important. No, we are the ones that need to do something about it. We need to be involved with whatever topic it is. But I really urge people and our viewers today or that watch us online later to go to your website, which is HawaiiDispensaryAlliance.org. That's correct. And Hawaii is spelled out. Or you could probably Google the same thing and you'll pop up right at the top and read your really excellent opus treatise of January of this year. We'll call it a trade publication. A trade publication. So the simple fact that every Chamber of Commerce trade association, 511c6 Business League should be providing this kind of information, this caliber of information that's deep, that's insightful, that provides direction and asks all of its participants the question, what can we do better? How can I be better as a business owner or as I get involved? How can I empower this community to be successful? I think it, and that's just a perfect way to end this. I do recommend that people go there and find out some really good information about your terrific organization, the work that you've been doing passionately and that could really bring a lot of benefits which we haven't gone into this time so I hope you will come back another time and talk some more in the future. Absolutely. We got a lot to talk about. And I really appreciate you being here today and shedding some light on this. You know, a confusing issue for some people. And for others, pretty clear, but you've given us a lot of insight and I appreciate that. Thank you, Winston. So we are out of time and we will have to wrap it up here. I'm Winston Welch and this is Out and About on ThinkTech live streaming network series. We've been talking with Christopher Garth of the Hawaii Dispensory Alliance and sincerely appreciate you being here. Thanks for tuning in. We welcome your feedback and we want to thank our broadcast engineer, Ian Davidson, our technical producer, Ray Sangaling, our floor manager, Robert McLean, who's back from the flu this week, and to Jay Fidel, our executive producer, who's put this all together and thanks especially Jay and Carol Monley for being such great supporters of the community and a diversity of ideas. I'll see you here every other Monday at 3 p.m. for more of Out and About on ThinkTech. Hawaii, aloha everyone.