By Allison Schaefers

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Interest in cannabis tourism is high among Hawaii travelers, according to newly released data from MMGY Travel Intelligence’s summer edition of its Portrait of American Travelers, the travel industry’s longest–running examination of leisure travel behavior in America.

Some 46% of likely Hawaii travelers are interested in experiencing the intoxicating effects of cannabis while on vacation as compared to 39% of likely U.S leisure travelers, according to the study, which surveyed 4,509 U.S. adults in May.

The easing of the regulatory environment for cannabis is creating more interest in cannabis tourism and its surrounding infrastructure, including cannabis dispensaries, cannabis farm tours, and even some cannabis–friendly vacation rentals. That’s even true in Hawaii, where a regulatory environment exists to allow medical use; however, personal use, despite decriminalization, remains illegal.

State Rep. Adrian Tam (D-Waikiki, Kakaako), who chairs the House Committee on Tourism, said he supports allowing adult personal use of marijuana with strong regulations. Tam said he has surveyed his district and “the responses were overwhelmingly in support.”

Tam said strengthening the niche cannabis tourism market would diversify Hawaii tourism.

But Honolulu Prosecutor Steve Alm said, “I think it’s a terrible idea to legalize marijuana in the hopes that it will help our tourism business.”

He said Japan travel wholesalers have told him that in Japan marijuana “is seen in the same bucket as methamphetamine and cocaine,” and that they worry that legalizing personal adult use of cannabis in Hawaii will discourage Japanese visitors from coming.

Tam said, “If you go down to Waikiki you will smell it … and you will see kiosks that sell cannabis so it already feels like it’s legal. What is the difference between what will happen if we legalize it versus what is happening now?”

Rep. David Tarnas (D-Hawi, Halaula, Waimea, Makahalau, Waikii, Waikoloa, Kawaihae, Mahukona), chair of the House Committee on Judiciary & Hawaiian Affairs, is skeptical of Alm’s assertions that legalization will have a negative impact on tourism, and said that he has asked the state Department of Health to conduct a demand survey, including visitors.

State DOH officials said the Hawaii Medical Cannabis Program began registering out-of-state patients in 2019 “to allow them to legally access medical cannabis at Hawaii dispensaries during short visits by applying for a temporary OSP (out-of-state patient) card.”

The program is open to medical cannabis cardholders from other states, U.S. territories, and the District of Columbia, but not to international visitors.

Simon Moriarty, vice president of syndicated research for MMGY Travel Intelligence, said in an email that the research company does not track how many U.S. leisure travelers have medical cannabis cards.

“The data above shows Hawaii is a popular destination for cannabis travelers, regardless,” Moriarty said. “The Island of Hawaii is the top destination of interest for active leisure travelers who are interested in participating in a cannabis-related activity while on vacation (66%); Maui is second (64%) with Honolulu and Las Vegas; Kauai is third (61%) ahead of San Diego (60%), New York City (60%), New Orleans (59%) and Florida Keys/Key West (58%). “

Moriarty said that the data shows that Hawaii is a popular cannabis tourism destination despite not having fully embraced recreational use.

“That might be a combination of being interested in Hawaii anyway, because it ticks other travel motivator boxes, or a sense that the decriminalisation for small amounts (e.g., paying a fine rather than jail time) might be enough to encourage people to visit,” he said. “But on the whole, I think people who want to travel and experience cannabis activities are more likely to want to go to the likes of legal lounges and farms.”

Brent Norris, owner of Hawaii Cannabis Tours, lists his home, Treehouse.farm, on budandbreakfast.com and advertises camping on about a half-dozen other sites. The two-acre cannabis farm sits on a 20-acre site in a Native ‘Ohi‘a forest about 10 miles from Volcanoes.

Norris said that he opened Hawaii Cannabis Tours about four years ago to provide education through one-hour, or longer, custom tours “in a way that helps people to understand cannabis medicine.”

He said that he has not seen cannabis tourism increase, but noted that the market is evolving. He gets mostly U.S. visitors, but has welcomed guests from Japan, Australia, Guatemala, Germany and other parts of Europe.

“When we started off it was really common for people that didn’t know anything to want to come and visit, particularly from Japan where it’s highly regulated, just flat-out illegal. They would come just to see the plant,” Norris said.

He said now that more people have touched, smoked or consumed weed in other ways, the type of person that wants a tour has become more specialized.

“Medical professionals, research scientists, doctors, lawyers — they want to see how it operates based on their profession or their speciality,” Norris said.

GETTING HIGH

Out-of-state patient cards issued in Hawaii for medical marijuana use:

>> 2025: (Jan. 1 – July 31): 3,003 cards

>> 2024: 4,491 cards

>> 2023: 5,107 cards

>> 2022: 5,709 cards

>> 2021: 4,824 cards

>> 2020: 1,473 cards

>> 2019 (March 1 – Dec. 31): 2,269 cards

Source: Hawaii Department of Health