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David J. Barton MD and Hawaiian-Pacific Pain and Palliative Care (www.hipppc.com)
Important Update on Hawaii Medical Cannabis Program
Recent bills signed into law by the Hawaii State Legislature are bringing several significant changes to the state’s medical cannabis program. We are currently awaiting further guidance from the Department of Health regarding how and when these changes will be implemented.
Telehealth Appointments Continue
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, we fully embraced telehealth videoconferencing. Over the past five years, patient feedback has been overwhelmingly positive, and we will continue offering secure, HIPAA-compliant telehealth appointments via Doxy.me/hawaiipain.
Steps to Renew Your Medical Cannabis License
To renew your license, please complete the following steps:
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Register with the State
Visit https://medmj.ehawaii.gov/medmj/dashboard and complete the required state registration.
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Complete the Yearly Questionnaire: Yearly Questionnaire. This is password protected, so ask for renewal instructions if you don't have it already.
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Telehealth Interview
Attend your required interview via secure videoconference at Doxy.me/hawaiipain.
- Our office fee continues to be $150 for the one year card, which includes taxes and finance fees. I usually use PayPal, but will be starting to use other payment methods through Doxy.me.
- If needed,email me at Hawaiipain@gmail.com for renewal instructions. New patients can use the same email address.
If you have any questions or need assistance with the process, don’t hesitate to reach out.
If you are a vet, let me know right away. As a veteran of the US Army, I strongly support improved pain and emotional support by the use of cannabis.
PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE!!! On your registrations, your name must match whatever is on your ID, driver's license or passport (whatever you used)
I give all my patients my cell phone number. Unfortunately, so do companies that don't respect privacy and sell such information. I am getting hit with lots of scam/ telemarketer calls, so unless you are in my contact list, I will not be answering your calls. Best to leave a message or text me. I am sorry life is like this. Also, at times, I don't carry my phone around, so I read the text messages every few hours.
Remember, cards are NOT mailed out anymore by the DOH. You have to download it from your personal account. (For patient applications, please log in to your account at https://medmj.ehawaii.gov and click the 'Application Status' button. You can click 'Download Registration Card' for a copy of your 329 card from now until it is no longer valid.)
Cards are currently being processed very quickly by the DOH for locals, taking only a few days now. They have 30 days by law to issue Hawaii State Medical Cannabis cards.
Here's a summary of the key points ABOUT Two-Year Cards
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Benefits of Two-Year Cards:
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Reduced Renewal Hassle: Patients don’t have to go through the yearly process of submitting forms and renewing the card.
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Convenience for Caregivers: Caregivers, as well as those with non-residential grow sites, benefit from not having to deal with the yearly paperwork.
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Employment and Legal Protection: For some patients, maintaining uninterrupted card status is critical for employment or legal security, so the two-year card helps avoid any lapses that could cause problems.
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Process Requirements:
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Annual Update: Even with a two-year card, in my practice, patients are still required to complete an annual questionnaire. This is a minimal requirement to maintain the legal integrity of the card. In addition, I am available for follow up interviews at any time by Telehealth Videoconferencing if you have any concerns or questions.
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Cost Implications:
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No Savings: The two-year card doesn’t result in cost savings. Since the patient is still paying for each year of care, the total office fee is essentially doubled.
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State and Federal Licenses: The physician’s costs for maintaining licenses at both state and federal levels are also doubled to ensure coverage for the two-year period. This also extends to the potential risk of the physician retiring or letting the licenses lapse, which would invalidate the patient’s card.
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Office Fee:
The two-year card essentially offers peace of mind and convenience in terms of continuity, but the legal and financial responsibilities are still very much present, meaning no real cost savings for the patient. This is increasingly important due to the new laws going into effect concerning the right of the Department of Health to review patient records.
Gun enthusiasts need to read this: Click and read the second paragraph
Patients are not allowed to submit the "329 cannabis license application directly to the Dept of Health. A fair number of people mistakenly are under the impression that the DOH will automatically send them a "329" cannabis license when they apply online through the state's website. The DOH does not know about your DOH online registration until it is certified by the physician, and the rules state that people must be seen by the doctor NO LESS THAN once per year. Once the physician certifies you, then your application goes to the DOH offices for card issuance. We try to make the process as easy as possible, but it is NOT our system, and we get frustrated by it just as much as you do. Getting a card is the exact same process every year, except one does not need to re-prescreen after the first year. See here!
CARD SHOP REGRET?: if you were seen by a signature clinic or a Physician/APRN card signer only, where all they do is just sign your certification, and do not provide followup care and directions, I am sorry but please understand that we can't provide further information and care to you, unless you come for a consultation. I can only give medical advice within the Doctor-Patient relationship, which must be established. Generally, you can tell if you went to a signature clinic, if you do not know who the doctor is that signs your card, and it is not easily seen from their website. Signing a certification is the easy part, getting your patients to be successful is the hard part!
Hawaii Law is CHANGING, concerning what medical conditions qualify one for the licnese. Currently, it does not allow insomnia, stress, anxiety, ADHD, depression, or any Non-PTSD psychiatric conditions as qualifiers for a card! All patients with any of these psychiatric conditions should be under the care of a psychiatrist/psychologist first, including PTSD, and would need their authorization first, before we can get involved for pain. In fact, most experts would recommend non-medication therapy for such conditions. ACT care has been shown to be most effective. You can find those trained in ACT here: Oahu/Hawaii ACT.
In addition, for tourists and visitors, unless you are a frequent or prolonged visitor with a local mailing and residence address in Hawaii, you can not get a Hawaii State Cannabis License. You can only get a tourist card, and for that, you deal directly with the Dept of Health, and not any local docs. Hawaii is working on a reciprocity program that would allow it to recognize STATE medical cannabis cards issued in other states. Don't feel bad..you don't want to get ripped off by these Hawaiian Stores selling reportedly inferior products at insane prices anyways! Just read the reviews on the internet.
Gov. Ige signed HB1488 which means patients may now grow TEN plants per license starting June 29, 2017
Please text or email me with needs, using contact info found in the autoresponder letter. If you telephone me on my personal cell number, and I am not able to answer, please leave me a brief message to let me know your primary need or purpose in callling. The message is converted to text and sent to me. I may be in a position to text you back if I know the number is textable.
We Know PAIN. Chronic severe pain nearly always involves sleep, depression, anxiety and other possible mood issues, along with conditioning and muscular dysfunction. One must explore life and one's sense of inner peace, avoid toxic people and situations, and minimize counter-productive and self-sabotaging attitudes and behaviors. Having solid hobbies and diversions help people to cope. Growing cannabis is a wonderful and satisfying hobby. Getting off as many pharmaceuticals as possible helps to improve your health. Cannabis therapies are ideal in that they help nearly all the above in multiple ways. We are not a 5-minute signature clinic. We take chronic pain seriously and promote action to deal with all the above-mentioned situations and conditions. Our goal is to help people take back their lives from the pain and get them back to their families and loved ones as well as possible.
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Aunty Pilahi wrote and passed The Aloha Spirit Law, Hawaii State Statute 5-7.5 as traits of character for its people and a way of life.
A – Akahai meaning kindness expressed with a feeling of tenderness
L – Lokahi meaning unity (unbrokenness) expressed with a feeling for harmony
O – ‘Olu’olu meaning agreeable (gentle) expressed with a feeling of pleasantness
H – Ha’aha’a meaning humility expressed with a feeling for modesty
A – Ahonui meaning patience applied with a feeling of perseverance
