Hawaii Dispensary Brands

Last verified: March 2026

The 8 Licensed Dispensaries

Hawaii operates the most restricted dispensary market in the United States. Only 8 dispensary licenses exist, all allocated in 2016 under HRS §329D. No new licenses have been issued since, and no outside brands are permitted to sell cannabis in the state.

Every licensee is vertically integrated — meaning each company cultivates, processes, manufactures, and retails its own products under a single license. There is no separate cultivation, manufacturing, or retail licensing. Every product you see on a Hawaii dispensary shelf was grown and made by that dispensary.

Oahu (Honolulu County) — 3 Licensees

Aloha Green

Aloha Green operates 4 retail locations across Oahu: Honolulu, Kapolei, King Street, and Waikiki. As a vertically integrated licensee, Aloha Green cultivates and processes all of its own flower, edibles, concentrates, tinctures, topicals, and vape cartridges at its production facilities on Oahu.

Cure Oahu

Cure Oahu has 3 retail locations: Kailua, Kapolei, and Kapahulu. Like all Hawaii licensees, Cure Oahu grows and manufactures every product it sells — no outside brands are carried. The company offers a full range of medical cannabis product categories.

Noa Botanicals

Noa Botanicals operates 4 retail locations: Aiea, Honolulu, Kaneohe, and Waikiki. Noa is known for a diverse product menu and has been one of the more visible Hawaii cannabis brands since dispensary sales began in 2017.

Big Island (Hawaii County) — 2 Licensees

Hawaiian Ethos

Hawaiian Ethos serves the Big Island with multiple retail locations. As a vertically integrated operation, Hawaiian Ethos cultivates cannabis on the Big Island and manufactures all products sold in its stores.

Big Island Grown

Big Island Grown operates multiple retail locations in Hawaii County. The company grows, processes, and sells its entire product line in-house, consistent with Hawaii's vertical integration requirement.

Maui County — 2 Licensees

Maui Grown Therapies

Maui Grown Therapies operates multiple retail locations on Maui. The company handles every step from cultivation through retail, offering Maui patients locally grown and manufactured cannabis products.

Pono Life Maui

Pono Life Maui serves Maui County with multiple retail locations. Like all 8 licensees, Pono Life cultivates, processes, and sells its own supply — no outside brands or products.

Kauai County — 1 Licensee

Green Aloha

Green Aloha is the sole licensee on Kauai, operating 2 retail locations. Kauai was allocated only one dispensary license under the 2016 distribution, making Green Aloha the only legal source of medical cannabis on the island.

Why Only 8 Brands?

Hawaii's dispensary program was established by Act 241 (2015), codified as HRS Chapter 329D. The law authorized exactly 8 licenses, allocated by county population:

• 3 licenses — Honolulu County (Oahu)
• 2 licenses — Hawaii County (Big Island)
• 2 licenses — Maui County
• 1 license — Kauai County

The sole application window opened January 12–29, 2016. The Department of Health received 66 applications and selected 8 winners on April 29, 2016. No additional application windows have opened since.

Under HRS §329D-2, the DOH may authorize additional licenses after October 1, 2018, at a maximum rate of 1 per 500 registered patients per county — but as of March 2026, no additional licenses have been issued.

Products Available

All 8 dispensaries offer a similar range of product categories, though specific strains, formulations, and prices vary by licensee:

• Flower — dried cannabis buds (available since dispensary sales began in 2017)
• Pre-rolls — ready-to-smoke joints (added March 2024)
• Concentrates — wax, shatter, live resin
• Edibles — gummies, chocolates, baked goods
• Tinctures — liquid drops for sublingual or oral use
• Topicals — creams, balms, and transdermal patches
• Vape cartridges — cannabis oil cartridges for vaporizer pens

For detailed information about each product type, see Consumption Methods. To understand what the numbers on the package mean, see Reading Labels.

No Outside Brands

Unlike states with separate cultivation, manufacturing, and retail licenses, Hawaii's vertically integrated model means no outside brands are sold at any dispensary. Every flower strain, edible, tincture, and cartridge on the shelf was grown and produced by that specific dispensary. This closed system gives each licensee full control over its supply chain — from seed to sale — but also means patients have a smaller selection compared to states with open markets.

HRS §329D established exactly 8 dispensary licenses allocated by county. Each licensee must cultivate, manufacture, and sell its own products as a vertically integrated operation. No additional licenses have been issued since the original 2016 allocation.

Hawaii DOH — OMCCR