Cannabis in Rhode Island

Medical cannabis was legalized in Rhode Island in 2016, and state-licensed medical cannabis dispensaries (referred to as compassion centers) were approved in 2009. The number of compassion centers allowed across the state increased from three to nine in 2018.

Overview of Key Rhode Island Cannabis Laws

Is medical cannabis allowed? Yes

Is adult-use cannabis allowed? No

Personal Laws

Cannabis has been decriminalized in Rhode Island with limits. Possession of less than 1 ounce of marijuana is treated as a civil violation with a maximum fine of $150 and no jail time.

Personal Possession

Overall Possession: Less than 1 oz. (civil penalty only)

Registered Medical Patient Possession: 2.5 oz.

Non-Rhode Island Resident Possession: None

Personal Growing

Registered patients may grow cannabis in Rhode Island.

Registered Medical Patient Growing: Registered patients can grow up to 12 plants and 12 seedlings. Together, two or more registered patients or caregivers can cooperatively grow no more than 10 oz. of usable marijuana, 48 mature plants, and 48 seedlings in a non-residential location or no more than 10 oz. of usable marijuana, 24 mature plants, and 24 seedlings in a residential location.

Medical Cannabis Patient Qualification and Registry

Patients with qualifying conditions who receive certifications for medical marijuana from approved physicians can register for the state’s medical-marijuana program. A patient may select two caregivers, and caregivers may have up to five patients.

Qualifying medical conditions include:

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
Anxiety disorders
Autism
Cancer, including remission therapy
Crohn’s disease
Damage to the nervous tissue of the central nervous system (brain-spinal cord) with objective neurological indication of intractable spasticity, and other associated neuropathies
Dyskinetic and spastic movement disorders
Epilepsy
Glaucoma
HIV/AIDS
Huntington’s disease
Inflammatory bowel disease
Intractable seizures
Multiple sclerosis
Neurodegenerative diseases
Neuropathies
Opioid use disorder for which conventional therapeutic interventions are contraindicated or ineffective, or for which adjunctive therapy is indicated in combination with primary therapeutic interventions
Parkinson’s disease
Post-traumatic stress disorder
Severe chronic or intractable pain of neuropathic origin or severe chronic or intractable pain
Sickle cell anemia
Terminal illness
Tourette syndrome

Business Laws

Vertical integration is required in Rhode Island, which means a company operates multiple businesses across the Rhode Island marijuana supply chain (e.g., both cultivation and dispensary licenses). However, there is an exception to vertical integration. In 2017, the state began issuing separate cultivation licenses. Residency is required to obtain a license in the state.

License Types

Compassion Center (including dispensary, processing, and cultivation)
Cultivation

License Fees

Compassion Center: $250 application fee and $5,000 license fee
Cultivation: $5,000 application fee and a license fee based on the size of the facility as follows:
- Micro-license: 0 to 2,500 sq. ft. facility = $5,000 license fee
- Class A: 0 to 5,000 sq. ft. = $20,000 license fee
- Class B: 5,001 – 10,000 sq. ft. = $35,000 license fee
- Class C: 10,001 – 15,000 sq. ft. = $50,000 license fee
- Class D: 15,001 – 20,000 sq. ft. = $80,000 license fee

License Timeline

There is no limit on the number of cultivation licenses that can be issued in the future, but the state is not accepting applications at this time.

Only nine compassion center licenses are allowed in the state. Applications for compassion center licenses are not being accepted at this time.

Testing

Cannabis testing is not required in Rhode Island, and there is not a specific cannabis testing license in the state.

Training

There is no required training for cannabis industry business owners or workers in Rhode Island.

Hemp

The 2016 Hemp Growth Act established rules for Rhode Island’s commercial, licensed cultivation of hemp treating it as an agricultural product. Rhode Island’s industrial hemp program allows both the growth and production of hemp by licensed growers and handlers as well as growing, production, and research by universities. For the 2019 season, the Rhode Island Department of Business Regulation issued 14 hemp growing and processing licenses.

Learn More about Cannabis in Rhode Island and How to Work or Start a Business in the Rhode Island Cannabis Industry

Leafy Green Agency offers a variety of certification seminars for people who want to start businesses, find jobs, get promotions, or invest in the cannabis industry in Rhode Island and across the country. Follow the link to learn more about our educational seminars.

Sources and More Information

Data current as of 1/18/20