Hawaii Medical Marijuana: 329 Card, Rules, and Limits

To get a Hawaii medical marijuana card, you need a Hawaii-licensed physician or advanced practice registered nurse (APRN) to certify that you have a qualifying condition, then you submit an application through the Department of Health’s online portal at medmj.ehawaii.gov. The card is called a 329 card, it is issued digitally rather than mailed, and the state fee is $38.50 for one year.1Hawaii Department of Health. Medical Cannabis Registry Program

Who Qualifies for a 329 Card

Hawaii law names specific diseases that make a person eligible: cancer, glaucoma, lupus, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, HIV, and AIDS.2Hawaii Revised Statutes. Hawaii Code 329-121 – Definitions Post-traumatic stress disorder also qualifies on its own.

If your diagnosis isn’t on that list, you may still qualify if you have a chronic or debilitating condition that produces one of these symptoms:

  • Cachexia or wasting syndrome
  • Severe pain that hasn’t responded to conventional treatment
  • Severe nausea
  • Seizures, including those characteristic of epilepsy
  • Severe and persistent muscle spasms, including those tied to multiple sclerosis or Crohn’s disease

The Department of Health can add conditions by rule, so the list can grow over time.2Hawaii Revised Statutes. Hawaii Code 329-121 – Definitions Whatever your condition, a physician or APRN has to formally diagnose it and certify that cannabis is likely to help you.

How to Apply

Step 1: Get Certified by a Provider

Find a Hawaii-licensed physician or APRN willing to evaluate you. The provider must confirm you have a qualifying condition and that the potential benefits of medical cannabis outweigh the health risks in your case.3Hawaii State Government. Hawaii Revised Statutes Chapter 329 – Section 329-122 Telehealth appointments are accepted, though some providers prefer an initial in-person visit. The provider’s evaluation fee is separate from the state application fee and typically runs $100 to $250.

Step 2: File Your Application Online

Register through medmj.ehawaii.gov. You’ll need a Hawaii state ID or driver’s license, your full legal name, Social Security number, and current address. Once you finish your portion, your provider logs into the same system to electronically sign off.

Fees are non-refundable even if the card is denied:

  • One-year card: $38.50
  • Two-year card: $77.00, available only if your provider certifies the condition is chronic and you are renewing with the same provider who certified you previously

Step 3: Download Your Digital Card

The Department aims to process applications in three to five business days.1Hawaii Department of Health. Medical Cannabis Registry Program No plastic card arrives in the mail. Your 329 card appears in your online account, and you download or print it from there. Keep a copy on your phone or in your wallet. Dispensaries and law enforcement will ask to see it.

Renewing Your Card

You can submit a renewal up to 60 days before your current card expires.4Hawaii Department of Health. Renew Your 329 Card Use that window. If your registration lapses, you lose the legal protection to possess or purchase cannabis until a new card is issued. The renewal process is the same as the original: online form, provider certification, fee, approval.

One detail trips up a lot of patients: your new card does not activate until the old one expires. Only one 329 card is valid at a time, so keep using the current card at dispensaries until the expiration date.4Hawaii Department of Health. Renew Your 329 Card

What the Card Lets You Do

A valid 329 card lets you possess up to four ounces of usable cannabis at any one time. That ceiling covers dried flower and any manufactured products combined. Exceeding it exposes you to criminal drug charges under Hawaii’s broader controlled substance laws.

You can also grow your own, up to ten plants at any stage of growth.5Hawaii Department of Health. Medical Cannabis Registry Program – Growing Cannabis Every plant must be tagged with your registration number and expiration date. Cultivation has to happen at a single location, and no more than five patients may grow at the same address.6Hawaii Revised Statutes. Hawaii Revised Statutes 329-130 – Medical Use of Cannabis

For purchases, the card gets you into any dispensary licensed by the Department of Health. Bring your digital 329 card and a government photo ID. Dispensaries track purchases against the four-ounce limit. Hawaii’s general excise tax applies to the sale.

Where You Cannot Use or Carry It

Medical cannabis use is confined to private property. The Department of Health prohibits use in all public places, including:

  • Public parks and beaches
  • Recreation centers and youth centers
  • School grounds
  • Moving vehicles, including buses
  • Your workplace

When you transport cannabis in public, it has to be in a sealed container that is not visible, and you cannot open or use it in transit.7Hawaii State Department of Health. Medical Cannabis Use and Restrictions

The rule that catches people most often: you cannot take cannabis between islands. Not by plane, not by ferry, not with a 329 card, not ever.7Hawaii State Department of Health. Medical Cannabis Use and Restrictions Flying from Oahu to Maui for the weekend? Buy from a dispensary on Maui after you land.

Caregivers

You can designate one primary caregiver to help manage your medical cannabis. Each patient may have only one caregiver at a time, and each caregiver may serve only one patient at a time.8Hawaii State Government. Hawaii Revised Statutes Chapter 329 – Section 329-123 Caregivers register through the same portal and must provide government ID.

A rule change at the end of 2024 narrowed what caregivers can actually do. For most adult patients, caregivers can no longer grow cannabis on your behalf. You either grow your own or buy from a dispensary. Caregiver cultivation is now reserved for minors with a parent or guardian as caregiver, adult patients who lack legal capacity, and patients living on an island with no dispensary.6Hawaii Revised Statutes. Hawaii Revised Statutes 329-130 – Medical Use of Cannabis

Visiting From Another State

If you hold a valid medical cannabis card from another U.S. state or territory and your condition qualifies under Hawaii law, you can apply for a temporary out-of-state patient permit through the same portal residents use. The fee is $49.50, and you can apply for up to two 60-day permits in a calendar year.9Hawaii Department of Health. Out-of-State Patient Application You’ll upload your out-of-state card and a matching photo ID.

You still cannot bring cannabis into Hawaii from your home state. Buy from a licensed Hawaii dispensary once your permit is approved. The inter-island transport ban applies to you too.

What a 329 Card Does Not Protect

The card is a state document. It carries no weight under federal law, and three federal conflicts matter in daily life.

Firearms

Federal law prohibits any “unlawful user of or addicted to any controlled substance” from possessing firearms or ammunition.10Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 922 – Unlawful Acts The ATF treats medical cannabis patients as falling inside that prohibition. Form 4473, which you complete when buying from a licensed dealer, asks whether you use marijuana. Checking yes means a denial. Checking no while holding a 329 card could be charged as a federal offense. Some federal courts have questioned the prohibition, but ATF written guidance has not changed. If you own guns, talk to a firearms attorney before you apply.

Employment

Hawaii has no state law protecting medical cannabis patients from workplace drug testing or termination, and no federal protection exists either. Courts have consistently held that the Americans with Disabilities Act does not require employers to accommodate cannabis use. A Hawaii employer can fire you for a positive cannabis test even if you hold a valid card and only use outside work hours. Safety-sensitive jobs in transportation, healthcare, and federal employment carry zero-tolerance policies.

Federally Subsidized Housing

If you live in public housing or use a federal Section 8 voucher, cannabis use of any kind puts your tenancy at risk. Federal housing law lets public housing authorities evict tenants for marijuana use regardless of state legality, and that includes medical use with a valid card. Weigh this risk before you register if your housing involves federal funding.