AN ACT RELATING TO FOOD AND DRUGS -- THE RHODE ISLAND CANNABIS ACT (Updates the Rhode Island Cannabis Act to remove the current requirement to express cannabinoids as the dry-weight percentages.)

S2961

2026 -- S 2961
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LC004962
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STATE OF RHODE ISLAND
IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY
JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2026
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A N A C T
RELATING TO FOOD AND DRUGS -- THE RHODE ISLAND CANNABIS ACT

Introduced By:
Senators Bissaillon, LaMountain, Mack, and Acosta

Date Introduced:
March 04, 2026

Referred To:
Senate Judiciary
(Cannabis Control Commission)
It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows:
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SECTION 1. Section 21-28.11-3 of the General Laws in Chapter 21-28.11 entitled "The
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Rhode Island Cannabis Act" is hereby amended to read as follows:
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21-28.11-3. Definitions.
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For purposes of this chapter, the following words, terms and phrases shall have the
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following meanings:
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(1) “Administrator” means the administrator of the cannabis office appointed by the
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governor pursuant to the provisions of § 21-28.11-18.1.
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(2) “Adult use cannabis” or “recreational cannabis” means cannabis which may be legally
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possessed and consumed for non-medical purposes by a person who is at least twenty-one (21)
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years of age.
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(3) “Applicant” means a Rhode Island resident or a business entity with a principal place
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of business located in Rhode Island to include, but not limited to, a corporation, limited liability
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company, limited liability partnership or partnership, and in which fifty-one percent (51%) of the
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equity in the business entity is owned by residents of Rhode Island, and the Rhode Island resident
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or business entity has made application for issuance of a license or certificate to own or engage in
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a cannabis business subject to the provisions of this chapter.
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(4) “Cannabinoid’' means any of several compounds produced by cannabis plants that have
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medical and psychotropic effects.
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(5) “Cannabinoid profile” means amounts
, expressed as the dry-weight percentages,
of

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delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol, cannabidiol, tetrahydrocannabinolic acid and cannabidiolic acid in a
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cannabis product
expressed in a form and manner determined by the commission
. Amounts of other
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cannabinoids may be regulated by the commission.
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(6) “Cannabis” or “marijuana” or “marihuana” means all parts of any plant of the genus
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cannabis not excepted herein, and whether growing or not; the seeds thereof; and resin extracted
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from any part of the plant; and every compound, manufacture, salt, derivative, mixture or
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preparation of the plant, its seeds or resin including tetrahydrocannabinol; provided, however, that
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“cannabis” shall not include:
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(i) The mature stalks of the plant, fiber produced from the stalks, oil, or cake made from
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the seeds of the plant, any other compound, manufacture, salt, derivative, mixture or preparation of
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the mature stalks, fiber, oil or cake made from the seeds of the plant or the sterilized seed of the
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plant that is incapable of germination;
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(ii) Hemp; or
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(iii) The weight of any other ingredient combined with cannabis to prepare topical or oral
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administrations, food, drink or other products.
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(7) “Cannabis accessories” or “marijuana accessories” means equipment, products, devices
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or materials of any kind that are intended or designed for use in planting, propagating, cultivating,
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growing, harvesting, manufacturing, compounding, converting, producing, processing, preparing,
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testing, analyzing, packaging, repackaging, storing, containing, ingesting, inhaling or otherwise
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introducing cannabis into the human body.
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(8) “Cannabis advisory board” or “advisory board” means the cannabis advisory board
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established pursuant to the provisions of § 21-28.11-6.
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(9) “Cannabis concentrate” means the resin extracted from any part of the plant of the
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genus cannabis and every compound, manufacture, salt, derivative, mixture or preparation of that
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resin but shall not include the weight of any other ingredient combined with cannabis to prepare
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cannabis products.
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(10) “Cannabis control commission” or “commission” means the Rhode Island cannabis
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control commission established by § 21-28.11-4.
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(11) “Cannabis cultivator” or “marijuana cultivator” means an entity licensed to cultivate,
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process and package cannabis, to deliver cannabis to cannabis establishments and to transfer
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cannabis to other cannabis establishments, but not to consumers.
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(12) “Cannabis establishment” or “marijuana establishment” means a cannabis cultivator,
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cannabis testing laboratory, cannabis product manufacturer, cannabis retailer, hybrid cannabis
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retailer or any other type of licensed cannabis-related business.

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(13) “Cannabis office” means the office established pursuant to § 21-28.11-18.1.
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(14) “Cannabis product manufacturer” or “marijuana product manufacturer”' means an
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entity licensed to obtain, manufacture, process and package cannabis and cannabis products, to
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deliver cannabis and cannabis products to cannabis establishments and to transfer cannabis and
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cannabis products to other cannabis establishments, but not to consumers.
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(15) “Cannabis products” or “marijuana products” means products that have been
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manufactured and contain cannabis or an extract from cannabis, including concentrated forms of
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cannabis and products composed of cannabis and other ingredients that are intended for use or
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consumption, including edible products, beverages, topical products, ointments, oils and tinctures.
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(16) “Cannabis retailer” or “marijuana retailer” means an entity licensed pursuant to § 21-
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28.11-10.2 to purchase and deliver cannabis and cannabis products from cannabis establishments
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and to deliver, sell or otherwise transfer cannabis and cannabis products to cannabis establishments
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and to consumers.
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(17) “Cannabis testing laboratory’' means a third-party analytical testing laboratory that is
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licensed annually by the commission, in consultation with the department of health, to collect and
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test samples of cannabis and cannabis products pursuant to regulations issued by the commission
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and is:
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(i) Independent financially from any medical cannabis treatment center or any licensee or
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cannabis establishment for which it conducts a test; and
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(ii) Qualified to test cannabis in compliance with regulations promulgated by the
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commission pursuant to this chapter. The term includes, but is not limited to, a cannabis testing
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laboratory as provided in § 21-28.11-11.
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(18) “Chairperson” means the chairperson of the cannabis control commission established
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pursuant to § 21-28.11-4.
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(19) “Close associate” means a person who holds a legally recognized financial interest in,
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or is entitled to exercise power in, the business of an applicant or licensee and, by virtue of that
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interest or power, is able to exercise a significant influence over the management or operation of a
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cannabis establishment licensed under this chapter.
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(20) “Consumer” means a person who is at least twenty-one (21) years of age, and who is
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authorized by law to consume or use cannabis.
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(21) “Controlling person” means an officer, board member or other individual who has a
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financial or voting interest of ten percent (10%) or greater in a cannabis establishment.
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(22) “Cultivation batch” means a collection of cannabis plants from the same seed or plant
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stock that are cultivated and harvested together, and receive an identical propagation and cultivation

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treatment, including, but not limited to: growing media, ambient conditions, watering and light
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regimes and agricultural or hydroponic inputs. Every cannabis cultivator licensee shall assign and
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record a unique, sequential alphanumeric identifier to each cultivation batch for the purposes of
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production tracking, product labeling and product recalls.
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(23) “Disproportionately impacted area” means a census tract or comparable geographic
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area that satisfies at least one of the following criteria as determined by the commission, that:
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(i) The area has a poverty rate of at least twenty percent (20%) according to the latest
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federal decennial census;
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(ii) Seventy-five percent (75%) or more of the children in the area participate in the federal
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free lunch program according to reported statistics from the Rhode Island board of education;
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(iii) At least twenty percent (20%) of the households in the area receive assistance under
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the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP);
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(iv) The area has an average unemployment rate, as determined by the Rhode Island
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department of labor and training, that is more than one hundred twenty percent (120%) of the
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national unemployment average, as determined by the United States Department of Labor, for a
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period of at least two (2) consecutive calendar years preceding the date of the application; or
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(v)(A) The area has disproportionately high rates of arrest, conviction, and incarceration
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related to the sale, possession, use, cultivation, manufacture, or transportation of cannabis in
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comparison to other communities and localities in the state; or
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(B) The area has a history of arrests, convictions, and other law enforcement practices in a
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certain geographic area, such as, but not limited to, precincts, zip codes, neighborhoods, and
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political subdivisions, reflecting a disparate enforcement of cannabis prohibition during a certain
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time period, when compared to the remainder of the state.
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(vi) The commission shall, with recommendations from the cannabis advisory board and
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the chief equity officer, issue guidelines to determine how to assess which communities have been
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disproportionately impacted and how to assess if someone is a member of a community
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disproportionately impacted.
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(24) “Final issuance of the commission’s rules and regulations” means the rules and
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regulations adopted by the commission after compliance with requirements of chapter 35 of title
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42 (the “administrative procedures act”) and chapter 46 of title 42 (the “open meetings act”) and
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shall not include any emergency, provisional or interim rules, regulations, requirements, orders,
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instructions or procedures.
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(25) “Finished cannabis” means a usable cannabis, cannabis resin or cannabis concentrate.
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(26) “Hemp” means the plant of the genus cannabis or any part of the plant, whether

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growing or not, with a delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol concentration that does not exceed three tenths
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of one percent (0.3%) on a dry weight basis of any part of the plant of the genus cannabis, or per
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volume or weight of cannabis product, or the combined per cent of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol
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and tetrahydrocannabinolic acid in any part of the plant of the genus cannabis regardless of moisture
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content.
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(27) “Host community” means a municipality in which a cannabis establishment or a
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medical cannabis treatment center is located or in which an applicant has proposed locating a
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cannabis establishment or a medical cannabis treatment center.
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(28) “Hybrid cannabis retailer” or “hybrid compassion center” means a compassion center
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licensed pursuant to chapter 28.6 of this title that is in good standing with the department of business
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regulation and that has paid the fee pursuant to § 21-28.11-10 and has been authorized to sell non-
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medical or adult use cannabis to consumers.
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(29) “Laboratory agent” means a registered employee of a cannabis testing laboratory who
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transports, possesses or tests cannabis.
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(30) “Licensee” means a person or entity licensed by the commission pursuant to the
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provisions of this chapter. Any business structure recognized under title 7, including, but not limited
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to, corporations, partnerships, limited partnerships, limited-liability companies, and workers’
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cooperatives, which is otherwise qualified, is eligible to be considered by the commission as an
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entity licensee.
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(31) “Manufacture” means to compound, blend, extract, infuse or otherwise make or
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prepare a cannabis product.
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(32) “Medical cannabis” means cannabis and cannabis products that satisfy the
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requirements of chapter 28.6 of this title and have been given the designation of “medical cannabis”
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or “medical marijuana” due to dose, potency and form. Medical cannabis products are only
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available for use by patient cardholders, and may only be sold to or possessed by patient
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cardholders, or their registered caregiver, or authorized purchaser in accordance with chapter 28.6
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of this title. Medical cannabis may not be sold to, possessed by, manufactured by, or used by any
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person except as permitted pursuant to chapter 28.6 of this title.
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(33) “Medical cannabis treatment center” or “Medical marijuana treatment center” includes
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a compassion center, a medical marijuana emporium, or marijuana establishment licensee who
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operates a treatment center, as defined in § 21-28.6-3.
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(34) “Member of an impacted family” means an individual who has a parent, legal
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guardian, child, spouse, or dependent, or was a dependent of an individual who, prior to the
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effective date of this chapter, was arrested for, charged with, convicted of, or adjudicated delinquent

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for any offense that is eligible for expungement under this chapter.
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(35) “Ownership and control” means ownership of at least fifty-one percent (51%) of the
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cannabis establishment, and control over the management and day-to-day operations of the
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cannabis establishment, and an interest in the capital, assets, and profits and losses of the cannabis
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establishment proportionate to percentage of ownership.
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(36) “Process” or “processing” means to harvest, dry, cure, trim and separate parts of the
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cannabis plant by manual or mechanical means, except it shall not include manufacture as defined
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in this section.
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(37) “Production batch” means a batch of finished plant material, cannabis resin, cannabis
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concentrate or cannabis-infused product made at the same time, using the same methods, equipment
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and ingredients. The commission shall require licensees to assign and record a unique, sequential
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alphanumeric identifier to each production batch for the purposes of production tracking, product
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labeling and product recalls. All production batches shall be traceable to one or more cannabis
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cultivation batches.
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(38) “Residual solvent” means a volatile organic chemical used in the manufacture of a
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cannabis product and that is not completely removed by practical manufacturing techniques.
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(39) “Social equity applicant” means an applicant that has been disproportionately
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impacted by criminal enforcement of marijuana laws, including individuals convicted of nonviolent
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marijuana offenses, immediate family members of individuals convicted of nonviolent marijuana
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offenses and individuals who have resided in disproportionately impacted areas for at least five (5)
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of the last ten (10) years, as determined by the commission after consultation with the cannabis
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advisory board, and further specified in the rules and regulations that shall identify factors and other
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considerations to be evaluated in certifying applicants as social equity applicants, provided that
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such applicants shall at a minimum meet one of the following criteria:
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(i) An applicant with at least fifty-one percent (51%) ownership and control by one or more
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individuals who have resided for at least five (5) of the preceding ten (10) years in a
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disproportionately impacted area.
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(ii) An applicant with at least fifty-one percent (51%) ownership and control by one or
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more individuals who:
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(A) Have been arrested for, convicted of, or adjudicated delinquent for any offense that is
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eligible for expungement under this chapter; or
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(B) Is a member of an impacted family.
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(iii) For applicants with a minimum of ten (10) full-time employees, an applicant with at
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least fifty-one percent (51%) of current employees who:

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(A) Currently reside in a disproportionately impacted area; or
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(B) Have been arrested for, convicted of, or adjudicated delinquent for any offense that is
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eligible for expungement under this chapter or is a member of an impacted family.
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(iv) Can demonstrate significant past experience in or business practices that promote
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economic empowerment in disproportionally impacted areas.
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(v) Had income which does not exceed four hundred percent (400%) of the median income,
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as defined by the commission, in a disproportionally impacted area for at least five (5) of the past
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ten (10) years.
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(40) “Terpenoid” means an isoprene that are the aromatic compounds found in cannabis,
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including, but not limited to: limonene, myrcene, pinene, linalool, eucalyptol, Δ-terpinene, ß-
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caryophyllene, caryophyllene oxide, nerolidol and phytol.
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(41) “Unreasonable and impracticable” means that the measures necessary to comply with
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the rules and regulations adopted pursuant to this chapter subject licensees to unreasonable risk or
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require such a high investment of money, time or any other resource or asset that a reasonably
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prudent businessperson would not operate a cannabis establishment.
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(42) “Workers’ cooperative” means an applicant organized and operated pursuant to the
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provisions of chapter 6.2 of title 7.
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SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage.
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EXPLANATION
BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL
OF
A N A C T
RELATING TO FOOD AND DRUGS -- THE RHODE ISLAND CANNABIS ACT
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This act would update the Rhode Island cannabis act to remove the current requirement to
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express cannabinoids as the dry-weight percentages.
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This act would take effect upon passage.
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LC004962
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