MEDICAL MARIJUANA HEARING NOV. 22

State officials will hold a hearing Nov. 22 on proposed rules that
will help determine how patients can legally obtain medical marijuana.

Critics say the proposed rules do not include the paperwork that
patients need to get medical marijuana.

"This is all pretty much a smoke screen and an obvious attempt to
stall things," said Tom Mountain, a medical marijuana advocate.

The hearing will give people an opportunity to express their opinions
on the rules, which will be adopted in final form by the state
Division of Narcotics Enforcement, said spokeswoman Pauline Namuo.

Public input will be considered on such legal aspects as the forms
patients need to have signed by their doctors to legally obtain
marijuana, she said.

"The whole purpose of the hearing is to allow the public to give oral
or written testimony regarding the rules," she said. "Then we review
the testimony, and if no other hearing is required, (narcotics
enforcement) comes up with the instructions for the public."

Hawai`i's medical marijuana measure was signed into law in June by
Gov.Ben Cayetano. Since then, patients and marijuana growers have been
operating illegally because procedures have not been put in place for
patients to obtain marijuana legally.

The hearing is 8:30 a.m. to noon in the State Capitol's basement
auditorium.

The proposed rules are available on the Web site
http://swat.state.hi.us/VRC.htm
(once there, see Title 23-PSD) or can be obtained by calling 587-1414
or faxing a request to 587-1244 or picking up the rules at the
Department of Public Safety on weekdays, 7:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

For more information, call Al Kim at 587-1414.