Hawaii’s first two medical marijuana dispensaries have been approved by the Department of Health.

Maui Wellness Group, d.b.a. Maui Grown Therapies, and Aloha Green Holdings on Oahu were given the go-ahead to acquire and grow marijuana for medical products.

Other dispensaries on Oahu, Maui, and Kauai are scheduled for inspections this month. Dispensaries on Hawaii Island are expected to be ready for inspection later this year.

“Our staff has been working diligently to schedule and conduct inspections on multiple islands while completing training and testing of the seed-to-sale tracking system which is critical to all dispensary processes and required by law,” said Keith R. Ridley, chief of the Office of Health Care Assurance. “Today’s milestone is a major step forward, and the state and dispensaries have worked very hard to get to this point. There’s still much more work ahead as we take all the necessary steps to ensure safe products for Hawaii patients.” [Read more at WHON]