HB 302 Signed: Hawaii Patients Gain Access, But Privacy Concerns Mount

30 June 2025

Governor Josh Green signs HB 302 into law as of 1 July, overhauling Hawaii’s medical cannabis program with sweeping new rules. The legislation both broadens access to marijuana for patients and tightens oversight.

Under the new law, medical providers can recommend cannabis to treat any condition they deem appropriate, removing the restriction to a predefined list of qualifying illnesses. Furthermore, patients can now be certified via telehealth, eliminating the need for in-person consultations—a change expected to significantly improve accessibility, especially for patients in rural or underserved communities.

Yet not all of HB 302’s provisions were welcomed: A controversial addition—inserted during conference committee negotiations—grants the Department of Health the authority to inspect a patient’s medical records without a warrant or suspicion of wrongdoing. Governor Green previously denounced this clause as a “grave violation of privacy,” acknowledging that it might deter patients from joining the state’s legal program. Nevertheless, the bill was ultimately signed into law without further explanation from the administration.

Beyond privacy, HB 302 imposes stricter enforcement, including a new Class C felony for unlicensed dispensary operation and a forthcoming ban (effective 2028) on cannabis cultivation without a DOH-issued license. The bill also permits hemp product sales at dispensaries and expands the state’s ability to fund nuisance-abatement efforts through cannabis tax revenue.

Earlier in the year, Governor Green signed two other cannabis-related bills into law. HB 132 streamlines expungement for marijuana convictions under a pilot program, and SB 1429 allows caregivers to grow cannabis for up to five patients, an increase from the previous limit of one.

Efforts to legalize recreational marijuana in Hawaii stalled again in 2025.

• SB 1613, which would have legalized adult-use cannabis, failed to make it out of committee, while decriminalization measure SB 319 was narrowly defeated in the Senate.