Former CEO of Maui Land & Pineapple David Cole’s Maui Wellness Group LLC is among eight companies that have been selected to receive licenses to grow and sell medical marijuana.

Hawaii Department of Health’s Virginia Pressler announced the names of the winners of the highly competitive licenses Friday in a crowded conference room on the third floor of Kinau Hale in downtown Honolulu.

TCG Retro Market 1, LLC, also known as Cure Oahu, won one of three licenses to establish dispensaries on Oahu. The company’s primary investor is Tradewind Capital Group, which is led by Richard Lim, who served as a Cabinet member under former Gov. Neil Abercrombie, and Honolulu businessman Colbert Matsumoto, a newly appointed board member for the city’s controversial rail project. [Read more at Honolulu Civil Beat]