Cannabis in Myrtle Beach & Hilton Head

Cannabis in Myrtle Beach & Hilton Head — Tourism Economies

Myrtle Beach (city pop. ~36,000; Grand Strand metro ~500,000) and Hilton Head Island (pop. ~38,000) are major tourist destinations driving Horry and Beaufort county economies. Both depend heavily on hospitality and short-term-rental workers, and both are subject to the same state law as the rest of SC. Horry County’s marijuana possession arrest rate is among the highest in the state (6.8× black/white disparity per ACLU).

Legal Disclaimer: This information reflects South Carolina cannabis law as of June 2026 and is for educational purposes only. It is not legal advice. Laws and regulations change — always verify current rules with the South Carolina Department of Public Health (DPH, formerly DHEC, restructured 2025); South Carolina Department of Agriculture (SCDA, hemp); South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED); South Carolina Attorney General or a qualified attorney. Cannabis remains illegal under federal law.

Last verified: May 2026

Myrtle Beach & the Grand Strand

Myrtle Beach (city population ~36,000) is the focal point of the Grand Strand — a 60-mile stretch of coastal beach communities running from Little River south through Conway, Surfside Beach, Garden City, Pawleys Island, and Georgetown. The Grand Strand metro population is approximately 500,000. The economy is dominated by:

Tourism: ~14 million visitors annually; one of the most-visited tourist destinations in the eastern U.S.
Hospitality: hotels, restaurants, golf, retail.
Vacation-rental real estate: substantial short-term-rental property base.
Convention business: Myrtle Beach Convention Center.

Hilton Head Island & Beaufort County Tourism

Hilton Head Island (Beaufort County, population ~38,000 year-round; substantially higher during peak season) is a high-end resort destination known for golf, beach, and gated-community real estate. The island’s ~12-mile length and shoe-shape geography produce a unique tourism economy distinct from Grand Strand. Hilton Head visitors annually approach ~3+ million.

Hospitality Workforce & Drug Testing

Both regions depend heavily on hospitality and short-term-rental workers. Hospitality industry drug-testing is generally less rigid than oil/gas/healthcare/manufacturing, but federal-grant-recipient hotels (e.g., those under SBA loan programs) and major chains (Marriott, Hilton, Hyatt) maintain corporate drug-free workplace policies. The transient seasonal workforce (often interstate or international H-2B visa holders) faces additional employment-vulnerability concerns where cannabis-related arrests can produce visa-status complications.

Horry County Cannabis Enforcement

Horry County’s marijuana possession arrest rate is among the highest in South Carolina, with a 6.8× Black-vs-white arrest disparity per ACLU of South Carolina racial-disparity analysis. The disparity reflects:

Concentrated enforcement in specific Grand Strand communities.
Tourism-area pretextual stops generating possession arrests.
Beach-area weekend-event enforcement spikes.
I-95 / I-20 / US-17 highway interdiction overlay.

Hilton Head Beaufort County Profile

Beaufort County (Hilton Head + Beaufort city + Bluffton) hosts MCAS Beaufort and MCRD Parris Island Marine Corps installations — producing federal-installation drug-testing constituency. See Beaufort + Parris Island page. The county’s political profile blends military-base conservatism with affluent-retiree and Hilton Head resort-community moderation.

Out-of-State Tourist Cannabis Issues

Myrtle Beach and Hilton Head attract substantial out-of-state tourist traffic from:

Northeastern adult-use states: NJ, NY, MA, CT.
Mid-Atlantic adult-use: VA, MD.
Southeastern medical states: FL, GA.

Out-of-state tourists carrying cannabis from legal-rec or medical-cannabis states face SC state-law exposure: 1 oz first offense misdemeanor; over 1 oz = PWID felony; concentrate Class C felony at any weight (vape cartridges); paraphernalia civil violation. Out-of-state legality is NOT a defense.

Vape Cartridge Concentrate Felony Exposure

The most common tourist-cannabis issue: a vape cartridge purchased legally in NJ, NY, MA, VA, or MD becomes a Class C felony in SC under § 44-53-370 (concentrate any amount). Tourists arrested at Grand Strand or Hilton Head airports, beach checkpoints, or traffic stops face felony charges that can affect federal student-aid, professional licensing, and employment in their home states.

Major Employers

Tourism / hospitality: Marriott, Hilton, Hyatt, Sea Pines (Hilton Head).
Conway Medical Center, Tidelands Health, Beaufort Memorial Hospital.
Coastal Carolina University: ~10,000 students; federally-funded.
HTC (Horry Telephone Cooperative).

Tourist + Resident Cannabis Reality

State law applies uniformly to residents and tourists.
Concentrate Class C felony exposure for vape-cartridge tourists.
Hospitality workforce drug-testing exposure.
Horry County 6.8× ACLU racial-arrest disparity.
Beaufort federal-installation drug-testing overlay.
I-95 / I-20 / US-17 interdiction corridor.