With a stroke of his pen on Wednesday, Governor McKee signed the bill that dramatically changes the landscape for marijuana cultivation, possession, sale and use in Rhode Island. Many of the changes are effective immediately....more
After several years of fits and starts, Rhode Island is finally poised to pass a substantive cannabis legalization bill as soon as next week. An amended version of the previously-proposed cannabis bill is now on the fast...more
Rhode Island House Speaker Joe Shekarchi seems to think so. While he has been quoted in local media saying that while the legislature is “still not there” on a final product, he is at least ready to say that “we’ve worked...more
Green Thumb Industries (“Green Thumb”) has announced that it has closed a deal to acquire one of only three existing medical cannabis dispensaries in Rhode Island, further expanding the Chicago-based company’s substantial...more
Last month, the U.S. Supreme Court denied review of a case out of Colorado dealing with a medical marijuana dispensary’s challenge to a tax code provision. After denying review, Justice Thomas—one of the Court’s most...more
7/30/2021
/ Controlled Substances ,
Decriminalization of Marijuana ,
Dispensaries ,
Federal v State Law Application ,
Interstate Commerce ,
Marijuana ,
Marijuana Cultivation ,
Marijuana Related Businesses ,
Medical Marijuana ,
Recreational Use ,
Tax Code
On Tuesday, June 22, Rhode Island took a major step towards legalization of marijuana. Although House Speaker K. Joseph Shekarchi still says legalization won't be decided until after the budget process ends (perhaps even...more
This month, two congressional Republican lawmakers introduced a bill to legalize marijuana at the federal level, as well as to protect banks that service state-legal cannabis businesses and to ensure that military veterans...more
5/27/2021
/ Banking Sector ,
Cannabis-Related Businesses (CRBs) ,
Controlled Substances Act ,
Decriminalization of Marijuana ,
Financial Institutions ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ,
Marijuana ,
Marijuana Related Businesses ,
Medical Marijuana ,
Medical Research ,
National Institute of Health (NIH) ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Schedule I Drugs ,
Scientific Research ,
Small Business ,
Tenth Amendment ,
TTB ,
Veterans ,
Veterans Administration
It appears that political support for legalizing recreational cannabis in Rhode Island may finally be reaching a critical mass. The details of how Rhode Island might go about legalizing recreational cannabis—and not whether...more
4/27/2021
/ Decriminalization of Marijuana ,
Dispensaries ,
Excise Tax ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Marijuana ,
Marijuana Cultivation ,
Marijuana Related Businesses ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Recreational Use ,
Sales Tax ,
State and Local Government
While some states’ ongoing efforts to legalize cannabis via voter referendums have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, a number of states will still be presenting the voters with questions regarding legalization of...more
Regulations governing the issuance of certain marijuana-related state licenses in Rhode Island do not require that applicants have specific municipal approvals but do require evidence of compliance with local zoning laws....more