We most often talk about using AI to reduce the time it takes to perform existing tasks such as collecting news articles and drafting audit content. And rightly so, because that’s where AI shines. But AI can also create new revenue streams.
One of the product ideas we brainstormed years ago was to produce brief summaries of regulatory updates. Practically speaking, it’s only the primary users of Protect that want to know the details about an update. Everyone else wants a summary.
Regulatory Updates
As usual, let’s start with the prompt. I’m using Gemini again, mostly because I want to finish this in one session – the free versions of ChatGPT and Claude have limits that might have stretched this into a multi-session project.
Initial Prompt and Draft
“I believe Hawaii last updated its cannabis regulations in November of 2025. Please summarize the content of that update.”
On November 17, 2025, the Hawaii Department of Health’s Office of Medical Cannabis Control and Regulation updated Chapter 11-850 of the Hawaii Administrative Rules. These updates codified previous statutory adjustments to streamline daily operations for medical cannabis patients and establish new standard guardrails for dispensaries.
Key Patient & Caregiver Changes
- Expanded Purchasing Options: Dispensary operators were officially permitted to sell standard cannabis supplies and consumption hardware alongside medication.
- Caregiver Cultivation Restorations: Following legislative changes under Act 046, the state rolled back previous restrictions on primary caregivers. Registered caregivers are authorized to cultivate cannabis for up to five qualifying patients, ensuring an adequate supply for those who cannot grow it themselves.
- Streamlined Daily Procedures: Routine tasks and bureaucratic check-ins were simplified to lower structural barriers for long-term patients.
Dispensary & Commercial Standards
- Packaging and Presentation Guardrails: The state added stricter rules governing how dispensaries package, handle, and visually present retail inventory.
- Enforcement Discretion: The Department of Health was granted explicit authority to impose stiffer administrative penalties and take enforcement actions against operations violating medical program rules.
Parallel Hemp Regulatory Shift
Simultaneously in November 2025, the state finalized preparations for Act 269, requiring all retailers and distributors of manufactured hemp products (including online and out-of-state entities shipping to Hawaii) to register with the state. This implementation aimed to curb the unregulated sale of psychoactive, hemp-derived cannabinoids like Delta-8 and Delta-10 THC.
Second Prompt and Draft
“Please re-write this at an 8th grade reading level.”
Hawaii changed its medical cannabis rules on November 17, 2025. The state updated these laws to make daily steps easier for patients. Here are the main changes:
- More items: Shops can now sell regular cannabis gear and tools with the medicine.
- Caregiver helper rules: Chosen caregivers can grow plants for up to five patients.
- Better packaging: Shops must follow stricter rules for packaging and showing products.
- Fines: The state can now issue harsher fines to shops that break rules.
- Hemp rules: Hemp sellers must register with the state to stop illegal sales.
Third Prompt for Additional Content
“As a dispensary owner, what should I do next?”
- Add New Products: Start ordering and stocking cannabis accessories to sell to your current customers.
- Check Your Labels: Look over all your product packaging to make sure it matches the new state laws.
- Verify Your Vendors: Ask your hemp suppliers to prove they are registered with the state.
Fourth Prompt for Packaging
“Please generate a list of packaging guidelines for Hawaii and note those that are new.”
1. General Rules for All Bags and Boxes
- Child-Proof: All containers must be hard for children to open.
- Tamper-Evident: Packages must have a clear seal that breaks when opened. This proves no one messed with the medicine.
- Resealable: If a pack holds more than one dose, it must be able to close tightly again.
- Opaque Containers: All outer packaging must be solid in color. Customers should not be able to see the product through the plastic or glass.
2. Look and Design Limits
- Plain Text Only: Use black ink on a plain white background.
- No Fun Graphics: You cannot use pictures, cartoon drawings, or corporate logos.
- No Hawaii Themes: You cannot use local images like palm trees, waves, hibiscus flowers, or Hawaiian flags.
- No Candy Looks: The box cannot look like regular store candy or snacks. This keeps children from wanting to eat it.
3. Required Label Text
Every single package must clearly display these pieces of information:
- The Basics: Product name, net weight, batch number, and expiration date.
- Dose Size: Total THC milligrams per serving and total THC milligrams for the whole pack.
- Testing QR Code: A printed link or QR code so patients can look up the clean lab test results.
- Exact Ingredients: A list of everything inside, including a clear warning for any food allergens.
4. Mandatory State Warnings
The exact text below must be printed word-for-word on every label:
- “For medical use only.”
- “Not for resale or transfer.”
- “WARNING: This product contains cannabis. Keep out of reach of children.”
- “Do not drive or operate machinery while under the influence.”
5. Extra New Rules for Hemp (If You Sell It)
If your shop stocks any legal hemp or CBD items, they must follow these strict November 2025 dosage caps:
- Edibles (Gummies): Maximum of 1 mg of THC per serving and 5 mg total per box.
- Tinctures (Oils): Maximum of 3 mg of THC per serving and 85 mg total per bottle.
- Beverages (Drinks): Maximum of 0.5 mg of THC total per can or bottle.
Fifth Prompt for PDF
“Please put these packaging guidelines into a PDF that can be shared with staff.”
Gemini created this PDF. It’s not that long, but it includes detail that doesn’t need to be in the summary.
Conclusion
And there you have it. In five prompts, give or take, Gemini created the content for the Simplifya Regulatory Update based on Hawaii’s latest rule changes. What would you pay to have it delivered to you (or made available in Protect) within a day or two of the effective date?
The obvious objection is that nobody will pay for it when they could have prompted AI themselves. The answer is that AI can still make mistakes. It’s the disclaimer at the bottom of the screen regardless of which AI tool is used. How would you know if AI made a mistake when interpreting this update to Hawaii’s rules? You could run it by an attorney who is familiar with the regulations in Hawaii. It would not be a small bill. Or you could buy the report from Simplifya. You know, the company that has specialized in cannabis audits and SOPs since 2016! Even if you knew the report was generated by AI, the confidence to use the report comes from knowing that someone with deep and relevant experience reviewed the report for accuracy.
Plus, what if we offered these reports to Protect clients for say, $49? I’ve long wanted to add a marketplace module in Protect where users could buy and download things like these regulatory update summaries. Off the top of my head, we could also offer specialized SOP templates (eg, delivery or transport), document checklists (circumventing the awkwardness of Smart Cabinet), and P&L checklists (maybe let clients purchase the ones they want instead of forcing them to buy a package).
It opens the door for a version of the marketplace that caters to non-Protect clients. They can buy and download the same products at a premium price. The more they buy, the more it makes sense to subscribe to Protect.
Anyway, I’m getting ahead of myself. What do you think of these regulatory updates? Let me know in the comments. The brainstorming session is open!