Woody Harrelson, a Hawaii resident and a vocal proponent of recreational marijuana usage, has been denied license in the area. He was applying for medical marijuana dispensary license for his company.
In a report by Vanity Fair, the Hollywood figure was applying to open a medicinal dispensary on his island home of Hawaii. The state has approved only eight of the 60 people who have filled their applications for the license to provide medical-grade marijuana to patients, who are suffering from ailments like anxiety and joint pain.
The Hawaii Department of Health released the list of approved applicants last week. Three are from Honolulu, two from the Big Island, two more from Maui while one is from Kauai.
Harrelson, best known for his roles in the film "White Men Can't Jump" as well as the sitcom "Cheers," applied for the license for his company Simple Organic Living LLC, The Weed Blog reported. Harrelson has been a marijuana advocate openly for more than a decade now and he is on the advisory board of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws. The statement of the Department of Health did not specifically say why the application of Harrelson for his company was denied.
Applicants in Hawaii were required to have USD 1 million plus USD 100,000 for each of their planned dispensary locations. Also, one must be resident of Hawaii for more than five years. The approved applicants are allowed to have two production centers and two retail dispensaries. The facilities could be opened as early as July 15 this year, Business Standard reported.
Last year, the Hawaii legislature approved the creation of medical marijuana dispensaries. All over the United States, more than 20 states as well as the District of Columbia allowed medical marijuana. Four of the 20 states also allowed recreational pot usage. Nonetheless, the drug is still banned under federal law.
