The House and Senate passed identical bills in unanimous votes, removing the “legislative veto” language over medical marijuana and hemp regulations that was included in this year’s state budget. There was no debate. Rhode Island lawmakers voted Tuesday to give back the final say over state cannabis regulations that they gave themselves last summer, backing […]
Rhode Island
Where Does Rhode Island Stand On Marijuana?
In the early evening of June 22, the Rhode Island House of Representatives passed the state’s $9.9 billion budget for fiscal 2020. Among the high-profile provisions in the 488-page spending plan was Article 15, which significantly reshaped the state’s medical marijuana industry. After six years of three dispensaries, the General Assembly expanded the marketplace to […]
R.I. Senate won’t support legalizing marijuana in 2020
Marijuana legalization in Rhode Island appears dead in the state Senate for another year. Senate President Dominick Ruggerio said Tuesday he doesn’t think the state’s medical marijuana program has been well-regulated and expanding legal access to the drug any further is a bad idea. “No,” Ruggerio said in a State House interview Tuesday, when asked […]
Rhode Island bills would help minorities get into marijuana business
PROVIDENCE — House lawmakers have introduced several bills designed to help minorities and their communities — disproportionately hurt over the years by marijuana prosecution — enter the profitable pot business. While no approved recreational marijuana market exists in Rhode Island, Gov. Gina Raimondo has called on lawmakers this session to legalize recreational pot. She’s also […]
Rhode Island demand for medical marijuana skyrocketing
While state lawmakers consider legalizing recreational pot this year, sales of medical marijuana continue to hit new highs. The reason isn’t just that more people are ailing, state regulators say. The state’s three medical marijuana dispensaries are on pace to sell about $56 million worth of medicinal pot in fiscal 2019, said Norman Birenbaum, the state’s top […]
Rhode Island governor to propose legalizing recreational marijuana
Facing the “inevitable” prospect of being encircled by states that have legalized recreational marijuana, Gov. Gina Raimondo will propose this week that Rhode Island do the same. “I will say, I do this with reluctance,” she told The Journal last week. “I have resisted this for the four years I’ve been governor. … Now, however, […]
Rhode Island Legislatures to Introduce Plan for Marijuana Legalization in 2018
PROVIDENCE, R.I. — Marijuana legalization advocates are planning to introduce a scaled-back version of their legislation that would legalize the drug next year but put the brakes on immediate plans for retail stores. While the previous version of the bill called for legalizing the drug immediately, the new proposal calls for taking that step in […]
Rhode Island legislators push bill to legalize marijuana in 2018
PROVIDENCE, R.I. — Marijuana legalization advocates are planning to introduce a scaled-back version of their legislation that would legalize the drug next year but put the brakes on immediate plans for any retail stores. Rather than legalize the drug immediately, the new plan calls for taking that step in July 2018 when recreational pot shops […]
Under New Bill, Rhode Island Medical Marijuana Dispensaries Would Double
PROVIDENCE, R.I. — Just before Rhode Island’s first medical marijuana dispensaries opened four years ago, fewer than 5,000 people in the state were registered patients. Since then, the number of medical marijuana patients in Rhode Island has more than tripled, to 17,757. Approximately one out of every 45 adults in the state is now a […]
Rhode Island Legislators Push for Recreational Marijuana Vote This Spring
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — Rhode Island state legislators hoping to legalize recreational marijuana say they have enough support to pass a bill if it comes to a vote this spring in the Democrat-controlled General Assembly. Rep. Scott Slater, a Providence Democrat and legalization proponent, said taking action this year would allow Rhode Island to have […]
