If it hasn’t undergone testing by a laboratory certified by the state, then it is difficult to know. [if] What’s written on the can is exactly what the customer gets.”
Christopher Shea of Rhode Island Current
After the Rhode Island Cannabis Control Commission suspended new licenses in the interim, pending completion of an investigation into the regulations for intoxicating THC-containing beverages in liquor shops and bars.
At its last monthly meeting, the three-member committee unanimously voted to suspend temporarily accepting applications and issuing new licenses to businesses which allow for on-site consumption. Since last summer, liquor stores, bars, and restaurants can participate in the hemp legal market.
Charon rose, a spokesperson at the Rhode Island Current Commission, told Rhode Island Current that, as of last Friday (April 12), there were 10 applications pending for initial CBD/hemp distributor or retailer licenses, and one retailer application pending renewal. Rose didn’t immediately give the names of applicants for hemp vendors.
Matthew Przygoda told the Commission that the stopping of new licensing disrupts small business and entrepreneurs who are trying to legally enter this space.
No one can verify the age of a customer and guarantee responsible dispensing better than our retail partners.
Brian Oakley of Julian’s West End Neighborhood Spot, which is owned by Brian Oakley and co-owned by Julian’s Restaurant in Providence asked for the commission to reconsider it’s vote. Oakley said that this could cause disruption to his customers, who are used to THC being available at restaurants in their West End neighbourhood spot.
Julian’s has been granted a licence to sell hemp-based products as of December 3, 2024.
Oakley: “I’ve seen customers enter bars and restaurants, then become exuberant when they notice the placement of products.”
Cannabis cultivators oppose allowing THC products to be sold outside licensed pot shops, arguing that products—that mostly come from out-of-state—are not held to the same standards as what’s grown and manufactured in Rhode Island.
Jason Calderon told the commissioners that they had spent a lot of time not combining THC with alcohol. “The liquor and bar industries will only gain from this new revenue stream.”
A study examines dosage limits, child protection, and labeling
The lawmakers heard both sides and debated their options in the spring, and 120 hemp distributors and retailers who are licensed to sell THC beverages already have them on sale.
The General Assembly finally passed resolutions asking the Cannabis Control Commission to conduct a research study and make recommendations about dosage limitations, packaging requirements, labeling conditions, licensing restrictions, as well as other measures to prevent children from accidentally consuming intoxicating beverages. In the measure, it is requested that the Cannabis Control Commission “consult medical experts, appropriate state agencies, departments, including the Department of Health and Department of Revenue” By March 1, 2026, the recommendations of the commission are to be presented to lawmakers.
The state budget fiscal 2026 was passed on July 1st. This included the study. The budget gave the commission new authority to suspend licenses—a power previously held by the Rhode Island Department of Business Regulation before the transfer of oversight to the newly-established Cannabis Office.
As regulators consider whether or not to introduce new rules for social consumption such as allowing marijuana cafes, they have halted the issuance of new licenses.
Carla Aveledo told the committee that “it needs to be given more time for study, because there are so many complex policy issues.”
In Rhode Island, THC beverages derived from hemp remained illegal until 2024. The state’s Office of Cannabis Regulation then began to allow the sale of low-level delta-9 THC products at authorized retailers including liquor and vape stores.
Since 2018, hemp has been legalized at the federal government level. By itself, hemp produces little to no THC, the compound most commonly associated with cannabis intoxication, and is typically non-psychoactive when first harvested—unlike other cannabis plants.
The magic of chemistry can create delta-9, and the less potent Delta-8 THC.
Stuart Procter told the commission that infusing THC into a beverage requires an emulsifier compatible with the pH of the drink, since cannabis oil is usually concentrated.
Procter says that since the hemp-derived beverages are imported from outside of California, they may not be subject to the same standard.
If it hasn’t undergone testing by a laboratory certified by the state, then it is difficult to know. [if] Procter explained that the same thing is printed on each tin.
Procter, in a post-meeting interview, said that even slight heat reduces the effectiveness of the product.
He said, “And you get nothing when you drink this.” “So, you would have to drink much more.”
The original publication of this story is Rhode Island Current.