What still needs checking
- Four-ounce possession and eight-ounce/30-day purchasing describe different legal quantities.
- Medical dispensary GET and county surcharge were resolved using the Department of Health report and current Taxation page. The report's claim that Maui has no surcharge is stale; Taxation gives Maui's 0.5% surcharge from 1 January 2024. Dispensary stock and 329V approval remain individual trip checks.
Possession and use
A Hawaii-registered patient may possess up to four ounces of usable cannabis under the medical program. The allowance belongs to the patient and registered caregiver arrangement, not to any adult visitor. Products must come through lawful medical channels or registered cultivation. Public use and certain locations remain restricted, including places where smoking is prohibited. The medical card should be available when possessing cannabis, and any designated caregiver must comply with registry conditions.
Medical access
Hawaii residents obtain a 329 registration after certification by an authorized health-care provider. A qualifying out-of-state patient may apply for a temporary 329V registration to buy at Hawaii dispensaries; the state describes it as valid for up to 60 days with a limited renewal option. A foreign medical card alone is insufficient at the dispensary. The applicant must provide required identification, certification and home-state card information through the state process before making plans around medical access.
Home growing
A Hawaii registered qualifying patient and the patient's designated caregiver may jointly grow up to 10 living plants, mature or immature combined. The registered grow site must appear on the 329 card and may be the patient or caregiver residence or another site either owns or controls. Each plant needs a patient identification tag. This count is shared by the patient and caregiver; it is not 10 plants for each person.
Hawaii has no general adult-use home-grow right. Out-of-state temporary medical registration does not include cultivation. The reviewed state sources do not provide one universal household total for separately registered patients living together, so a shared site's registrations and permissions need individual checking.
Where to buy
Use a state-licensed medical cannabis dispensary with a valid Hawaii 329 or 329V registration. Rules effective November 17, 2025, set medical retail purchase limits of four ounces in 15 days or eight ounces in 30 days, which differ from the four-ounce personal possession allowance. The dispensary tracks purchases, and availability varies among islands and locations. The state has no licensed recreational retailer network; a tourist without approved 329V status cannot buy medical cannabis.
Taxes and price
Hawaii's Department of Health reports that licensed medical cannabis dispensary sales are subject to the 4% general excise tax. All four counties now have a 0.5% surcharge on activities taxed at 4%, according to the Department of Taxation. The tax is imposed on the business, which may choose whether to pass it on; the tax department lists a maximum pass-on rate of 4.7120% in those counties. Check the itemized price because this is not a mandatory add-on to every receipt.
Travel and public places
Do not transport cannabis across state lines or between Hawaii and the mainland; federal rules govern air and sea travel. Hawaii's visitor registration is a way to seek local medical access, not permission to carry a personal supply into the state. Avoid public consumption and impaired driving, and confirm the rules for your lodging and island. Carry the Hawaii registration, not just a foreign card, when visiting a licensed dispensary.
Sources and remaining checks
We checked the sources below on the date shown above. Rules may have changed since then. Check the current rules before making a decision, and read the remaining questions noted in this guide.
- Hawaii Department of Health growing cannabis. Read 23 Oct 2026; four-ounce usable allowance and ten plants at registered site.
- Hawaii medical cannabis registry FAQs. Read 23 Oct 2026; patient possession and public-use restrictions.
- Hawaii medical cannabis registry. Read 23 Oct 2026; resident 329 registration.
- Hawaii DOH out-of-state patients and travel. Read 23 Oct 2026; temporary 329V registration and interstate warning.
- Hawaii Administrative Rules chapter 11-850. Read 23 Oct 2026; revised dispensary purchase limits effective Nov 17 2025.
- Hawaii Department of Taxation general excise tax. Read 23 Oct 2026; general excise framework; cannabis-specific application confirmed separately by 2026 health department report.
- Hawaii medical cannabis dispensary 2026 annual report. Read 23 Oct 2026; page 8 says licensed medical cannabis sales bear 4% GET. Its county-surcharge statement is stale for Maui.
- Hawaii Department of Taxation county GET surcharge. Read 23 Oct 2026; all four counties have 0.5% surcharge at this date; 4.7120% maximum pass-on rate if merchant chooses to pass GET to buyers.
- Hawaii Revised Statutes section 329-121. Adequate supply is jointly possessed by patient and caregiver; out-of-state patient supply excludes live plants.
- Hawaii DOH medical cannabis grow-site guidance. Ten plants total for patient and caregiver, all growth stages count, and each plant must be tagged.
No professional legal review is claimed. Check official sources and the verification notes below.