Purchase limits in the cannabis industry are regulatory restrictions that dictate the maximum quantity of cannabis products a consumer can buy within a specific timeframe, typically on a per-transaction, daily, or monthly basis. These limits are crucial for maintaining compliance with local and state cannabis laws as they help prevent the diversion of cannabis into the illicit market and reduce the risk of overconsumption.
In this article, we will review how to set up and configure Purchase Limits in your account.
Before you start:
Know your state's purchase limit amounts per category (GrowFlow can't provide legal guidance - check with your compliance officer or state regulator if unsure).
Setting Unit Weight vs. Net Weight per category requires GrowFlow support on first setup - budget time for that back-and-forth.
Confirm your product profiles already have accurate units of measure (grams vs. each) set, since limits are enforced against those values.
Setting Purchase Limits
Configure Purchase Limit Type & Values
To set up purchase limits for your store:
1. Click on Store Settings.
2. Select Compliance.
3. Go to the subsection titled MJ Purchase Limits. Toggle on the Enforce Purchase Limits setting, then select a Purchase Limit Type.
Individual purchase limits are enforced per category, whereas Combined purchase limits use equivalency to enforce limits across a combination of categories. Check with your state regulatory body if you are unsure of which Purchase Limit Type to select.
4. Each category type, such as Flower, Edible, and Concentrate, appears under either Rec Purchase Limits or Medical Purchase Limits. If your state allows both medical and recreational sales, you’ll see both options. Enter the limits for each category in the required fields shown below.
PLEASE NOTE: Only a GrowFlow representative can make changes to the Unit Weight and Net Weight selections to the right of the limit amounts, as seen outlined in the red box below.
You will need to contact GrowFlow support to have these selected. The radio buttons will be greyed out, and the system will default to Unit Weight.
After you have entered the purchase limit information and, if need be, had a GrowFlow representative select Unit Weight or Net Weight for each category:
Link Product Categories to Purchase Limits
5. Click on Organization Settings.
6. Select Product Categories.
7. On the Product Categories page, you'll want to make sure that your product categories are linked to their associated purchase limit type. If you are in a Metrc-connected state, make sure the correct Metrc Type is selected.
8. To make changes, click the kebab or three‑dot button in the top‑right corner of the screen and select Edit from the dropdown menu.
9. Once everything is linked, run a test sale in each affected category to confirm the limit enforces correctly - for example, try to sell one unit over the limit and confirm GrowFlow blocks it. If a sale that should be blocked goes through, or a sale that should go through gets blocked, see What Can Go Wrong below.
If you are in a state that requires you to report Net Weight in ounces, particularly with Edibles, double-check that your Edibles products have their unit of measure set to ounces and that the field has a value assigned. See the example below.
For guidance on editing or creating a product profile, see How to Edit a Product Profile and How to Create a Product Profile.
What Can Go Wrong
Purchase limits appear set up, but sales still go through over the limit
Symptom: Products sell past the limits you configured, or a budtender had to override a block — this usually means Enforce Purchase Limits is switched off, even though the limit values are still filled in.
Fix: Go to Store Settings > Compliance > MJ Purchase Limits and confirm the Enforce Purchase Limits toggle is switched on. Filled-in values do nothing if this toggle is off — check it periodically, especially after any settings changes.
Can't save because Unit Weight/Net Weight is greyed out
Symptom: You enter limit values, but the page won't let you save because the Unit Weight/Net Weight selector next to each category is greyed out and unclickable.
Fix: This selection can only be made by GrowFlow support. Enter your limit values first, then contact support and confirm which unit (Net or Unit Weight) each category should use. Support will apply the selection so you can save.
A category won't sell at all - the limit shows as 0
Symptom: One specific category (for example, Topicals) blocks every sale, even a single unit, while other categories sell fine.
Fix: Check the limit field for that category — a blank or 0 value is treated as a hard limit of zero, not "unlimited." Enter the actual limit your state allows for that category.
A single unit triggers "over purchase limit"
Symptom: Selling even one unit of a specific product triggers an "over purchase limit" error, while similar products sell normally.
Fix: This usually means a mismatch between the unit your purchase limit is measured in (e.g. Each) and the unit set on that product's profile (e.g. Grams), or the product is missing a Net Weight value. Check the product's profile and match its unit of measure to what the purchase limit category expects - see How to Edit a Product Profile.
Not sure what number to actually enter
Symptom: You know you need to set purchase limits but aren't sure what the correct quantity is.
Fix: GrowFlow can't advise on your legal purchase limit amounts - this is a compliance question, not a software question. Check with your compliance officer or your state's cannabis regulatory body before entering values.