Strain Library

United States

Hawaiian

Also called Maui Wowie, Maui Waui, Mowie Wowie, Kona Gold, Kona, Kona Weed, Pakalolo

Cannabis, known in Hawai'i as pakalolo, has been in the islands for a long time: the word appears in a Hawaiian-language newspaper in 1842, though how the plant first arrived is unclear. A researcher quoted in 2018 says tropical seed from India, Thailand, Cambodia, Colombia and Mexico was brought to the islands in the 1960s and then adapted to island conditions. In the early 1970s names such as Maui Wowie and Kona Gold became widely known. 'Landrace' is therefore a poor fit: these are better described as long-established island varieties of mixed, introduced ancestry. Campaigns from 1978, notably Operation Green Harvest, and a later decade-long crackdown destroyed millions of plants, and a breeder warns that today's heirloom cuts may differ from the originals.

Region
Hawaiian Islands (notably Hawai'i Island, Maui and Kaua'i)
How sure we are
Mixed. The islands' cannabis history and 1970s reputation are documented, but 'landrace' is inaccurate and the varietal story rests on oral accounts and seed-company narratives.
Keep in mind
Hawaiian names such as Maui Wowie and Kona Gold on today's menus are generally modern cultivars; true island heirloom cuts, where they exist, are privately held and cannot be verified from a label.

Timeline

  1. 1842 The word pakalolo appears in the Hawaiian-language newspaper Ka Nonanona, the earliest chronicled mention. Source
  2. 1960s Tropical narrow-leaf seed from India, Thailand, Cambodia, Colombia and Mexico is reportedly brought to Hawai'i, and its offspring adapt to island conditions. Source
  3. Early 1970s Hawai'i-grown cannabis becomes widely known under names including Maui Wowie and Kona Gold. Source
  4. 1978-1979 Operation Green Harvest runs in August and November 1978 and June 1979, uprooting and burning more than 65,000 plants. Source
  5. 1987 Confiscated plants peak at 1.9 million; a 1996 report counts about 6.3 million eliminated in a decade-long crackdown. Source

In the library

Sources

  1. Pakalolo's Long History, Regulated Future in Hawaii (Honolulu Civil Beat, 2016)
  2. Hawaii Has Been Debating Marijuana Legalization for Half a Century (Honolulu Civil Beat, 2024)
  3. Maui Grown Therapies announces release of Kona Gold (Maui Now, 2018) - company release quoting a researcher
  4. 1978-79 Annual Report, Hawaii County Police Department (NCJRS)
  5. From Boom to Busted (Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 22 Jul 1996)
  6. Hawaii State Data Book 1979, Section 19
  7. Six Islands, One Plant (Fat Nugs Magazine) - industry lore with breeder caveats
  8. Cannthropology: Pakalolo in the Pacific (Leaf Nation, 2022)

All landrace strainsThe cannabis timeline

Written from the sources above. Informational only, not medical advice.