Marijuana profits have yet to light up in Hawaii

Two years after Hawaii’s first medical marijuana dispensary opened on Maui, the legal pot industry has yet to achieve profitability.

Since the start of the year, gross sales have been growing, with $2.3 million in statewide sales and 293 pounds of cannabis sold in July, up from $1.6 million and 203 pounds in January, according to new statistics from the state Health Department.

But the dispensaries are still waiting for a return on their investment.

For Maui Grown Therapies, the state’s first dispensary, which opened in August 2017 at 44 Paa St. in Kahului, gross revenue grew by 84% over the past two years, and the number of active patients increased 180%, the company said.

Video by Kristen Consillio