Rhode Island’s first adult-use marijuana sales launched on December 1, with five dispensaries serving consumers 21 and older. So far, business is looking good, with the state raking in $786,000 in recreational cannabis sales within the first week.
A Marijuana Milestone for Rhode Island
Pursuant to the Rhode Island Cannabis Act, which was passed by the General Assembly and signed into law by Governor McKee in May 2022, a call for applications for “hybrid retail licenses,” which allow licensed compassion centers to sell both medical marijuana as well as safe, well-regulated, and competitively priced marijuana products to Rhode Island adults over the age of 21, was issued in early October. Currently, the five compassion centers that have received state approval for adult use sales are:
- Aura of Rhode Island (Central Falls)
- Thomas C. Slater Center (Providence)
- Mother Earth Wellness (Pawtucket)
- Greenleaf Compassionate Care Center (Portsmouth)
- RISE Warwick (Warwick)
“This milestone is the result of a carefully executed process to ensure that our state’s entry into this emerging market was done in a safe, controlled, and equitable manner,” Governor Dan McKee said in a press release. “It is also a win for our statewide economy and our strong, locally based cannabis supply chain, which consists of nearly 70 licensed cultivators, processors, and manufacturers in addition to our licensed compassion centers. Finally, I thank the leadership of the General Assembly for passing this practical implementation framework in the Rhode Island Cannabis Act and I look forward to continuing our work together on this issue.”
More Cannabis Changes Coming to Rhode Island
Additionally, the law “will give courts until July 1, 2024, to automatically expunge past convictions, and those who want their expungement sooner may request it,” according to the press release. The launch of recreational sales on December 1 was only one change to Rhode Island’s existing marijuana policy to arrive this month.
WPRI reported that, on the same day, “the state also stopped charging medical patients to obtain or renew their medical marijuana cards,” adding that “there is an expected revenue loss from the pending plan to expunge marijuana possession charges, which will eliminate court fees from those crimes.” Marijuana Moment also reported that Rhode Island lawmakers introduced a pair of drug decriminalization bills in March — including one focused on psilocybin and buprenorphine that would authorize doctors to prescribe the psychedelic mushroom.