The bill amends Section 21-28.6-12 of "The Edward O. Hawkins and Thomas C. Slater Medical Marijuana Act," focusing on the licensing and regulation of compassion centers. It introduces provisions that allow these centers to acquire, possess, cultivate, manufacture, and dispense medical marijuana to registered patients and caregivers. The Department of Health is responsible for establishing regulations regarding the application process, oversight, and security requirements. The bill also sets a timeline for accepting applications and mandates that if there are fewer than three licensed compassion centers, new applications must be accepted to ensure a minimum number of operational centers.

The bill clarifies that the fee required to be paid by compassion centers to the Department of Business Regulations will be an inventory monitoring and tagging fee, which is to be paid in two equal annual installments. This replaces the previous requirement for an inventory monitoring and tagging fee that was not specified in the new structure.

Additionally, the bill outlines the expiration and renewal of licenses, establishing that licenses issued before January 1, 2017, will expire two years after issuance, while those issued after that date will expire one year later. The bill emphasizes operational requirements for compassion centers, including not-for-profit operation, adherence to safety regulations, and accurate record-keeping. An oversight committee is established to evaluate patient access and the efficacy of compassion centers, with a requirement to report findings to the General Assembly by January 1 of every even-numbered year. The act is set to take effect immediately upon passage.

Statutes affected:
6398: 21-28.6-12