Hawaii cannabis testing requirements

Required tests

• Potency
• Pesticides
• Residual solvents
• Heavy metals
• Microbials
• Mycotoxins
• Water activity
• Foreign matter
• Homogeneity

ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation

Required. DOH certification requires accreditation in Hawaii by a body whose standards are equivalent to ISO 17025, covering the required analytes (HAR §11-850-132(b)(2)). A lab accredited elsewhere that has applied for Hawaii accreditation can get provisional certification; the rules set no deadline for that. Certifications last one year (§11-850-133(f)).

Notes

• Rules: HAR ch. 11-850 (interim rules), subchapter 9 (§§11-850-131 to -137) and Appendix I, compilation effective November 17, 2025. Statute: HRS §329D-8. Under HRS §329D-27 the interim rules lapse July 1, 2027 unless permanent rules are adopted first.
• Potency: total THC, delta-9-THCA, delta-9-THC, delta-8-THC, CBD, and any other cannabinoid named on the label (§11-850-135(c)(1)).
• Heavy metals (Appendix I, Table 3): arsenic 10.0, cadmium 4.0, lead 6.0 and mercury 2.0 ppm.
• Pesticides (Appendix I, Table 4): 56 listed pesticides, each limited to 1.0 ppm.
• Residual solvents (Table 5): 22 solvents, manufactured products only. The ethanol limit does not apply to tinctures; ethanol and isopropyl alcohol limits do not apply to topicals and patches (§11-850-135(h)).
• Microbes (Table 6): E. coli, Salmonella, and Aspergillus fumigatus, flavus, niger and terreus must not be detected in 1 g. There is no total yeast and mold limit.
• Mycotoxins (Table 7): total aflatoxins B1, B2, G1 and G2 at most 20 ppb; ochratoxin A at most 20 ppb.
• Water activity: at most 0.65 aw for flower, kief, hashish and pre-rolls (§11-850-135(c)(3)). There is no separate moisture test.
• Foreign matter: any visible foreign material, such as mold, hair, insects, metal or plastic (§11-850-135(c)(2)(D)).
• Homogeneity: edibles must be homogeneous, backed by a certified lab's attestation and analytical results (§11-850-76(c)(2), (d)). Terpenes and vitamin E acetate are not required tests.
• Batches: flower batches up to 50 lb with samples of at least 0.35% of batch weight; manufactured batches up to 150,000 units (§11-850-131). Failed batches are quarantined, may be re-analyzed up to twice or remediated, and are otherwise destroyed.
• Adult use is not legal: possessing marijuana outside the program is an offense, and 3 g or less is a $130 violation (HRS §712-1249). 2026 adult-use bills stalled, and the regulator is still DOH.