Rhode Island Now Accepting Adult-Use Retail License Applications

Rhode Island cannabis regulators are now accepting online applications for 24 new retail licenses. The licensing window closes at the end of December. Cannabis regulators in Rhode Island are now accepting online applications for 24 new retail licenses through the end of December, Rhode Island Current reports. Six of the licenses are reserved for social equity applicants, and another six are set aside for worker-owned cooperatives. 

Under state rules, social equity applicants are defined as individuals who were adversely affected by the War on Drugs, including residents in census tracts of five Rhode Island municipalities identified as “disproportionately impacted” areas from past cannabis prohibition. Those tracts include parts of Providence, Central Falls, Pawtucket, Woonsocket, and Newport.  

Cannabis Control Commission Chairperson Kimberly Ahern said the new licenses represent “a significant day for the commission and Rhode Island.” 

“This milestone represents the culmination of years of work and collaboration.” — Ahern via the Current 

The new licenses will be spread throughout six geographic zones, with a maximum of four per zone, and will be determined via lottery. 

Currently, adult-use cannabis products are sold through the state’s seven medical cannabis dispensaries. According to state data, those stores sold $118 million worth of products last year and about $80 million so far this year through the end of August. 

All applicants are required to pay a $7,500 application fee and an annual $30,000 licensing fee; however, the application fee will be waived for social equity applicants for the first year.