The following update was posted on the Hawaii DoH Marijuana Webpage Friday, Feb 12, 2016

The department’s original intention was to release the names of the panel members after the dispensary licenses were awarded. The reason for this was to ensure that the integrity of the review process is preserved and to prevent the panel members from being subject to inappropriate outside pressures.In light of the extraordinary public interest in the names of the panel members, however, the department has decided that the names will be released prior to the issuance of the dispensary licenses.

All dispensary license applications were submitted by January 29, 2016. Currently, department staff are reviewing each application to verify that the application and supporting documentation is complete, that the information submitted is true and valid, and that it meets the requirements of section 329D-3, Hawaii Revised Statutes.

Once that step is complete, the applications that meet the 329D-3 requirements will proceed to the pool of applications that will receive further review and selection based on merit. The applicants that do not meet those requirements, and that therefore will not be reviewed for merit and selection, will be notified in writing.

The department will assemble the merit selection panel members after the verification of applications has been completed. Once the panel has been finalized, the names of the panel members will be released.

read … FAQ from DoH

Feb 12, 2016: Newspaper demands pot panelists’ names be released