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H 7717Drugs

Food and Drugs - The Rhode Island Cannabis Act

This bill reduces the Cannabis Advisory Board's membership and limits its role to answering specific requests from regulators.

Introduced53 Yea7 Nay15 Not voting
Population
Affected
15
Email Legislator
Introduced Feb 12, 2026Committee House Corporations

Plain-English Summary

This legislation restructures the Rhode Island Cannabis Advisory Board. It removes eight non-voting members, who were primarily heads of various state departments, leaving only the eleven voting members. The bill changes the board's role from a general advisory body to one that convenes specifically at the request of the Cannabis Control Commission to address particular questions. Furthermore, it eliminates the requirement for the board to maintain specific standing subcommittees, such as those for public health and social equity, giving the chairperson discretion to appoint subcommittees only if they deem it necessary.

For younger readers

Rhode Island has a group of people called a "board" that gives advice on how to handle the rules for marijuana. Right now, this group has many members and has to meet to talk about many different things, like safety and fairness. This new law would make the group smaller by taking away some members who work for the government. It also says the group only needs to meet when the main bosses ask them a specific question, and they don't have to have special smaller groups for specific topics anymore.

Who & Where It Applies

Impacted groups
Cannabis industry business ownersMedical marijuana patientsSocial equity applicantsCannabis Advisory Board membersState agency directors
Impacted communities
All

Constitutional & Fiscal Check

None Likely

Estimated cost
None
Estimated revenue
None

Bill Analysis

Both viewpoints
For Progressives
  • Maintains the eleven voting members, which include representatives from communities most impacted by cannabis prohibition, ensuring their voices are not diluted by non-voting state bureaucrats.
  • Allows for a more flexible subcommittee structure, enabling the board to potentially pivot quickly to address urgent community needs without being bound by rigid statutory requirements.
  • Streamlines the advisory process, potentially allowing for faster implementation of recommendations regarding the social equity assistance fund if requested by the Commission.
  • Eliminates the mandatory requirement for a "social equity" subcommittee, potentially deprioritizing the needs of those harmed by the war on drugs and reducing accountability for restorative justice.
  • Removes the mandatory "public health" subcommittee, which could lead to less focus on consumer safety, product potency, and the prevention of substance abuse.
  • Restricts the board's independence by mandating it only convene at the request of the Commission, silencing proactive advocacy and oversight from community representatives.
For Conservatives
  • Reduces government bloat by removing eight non-voting state agency directors from the board, streamlining the bureaucratic structure.
  • Eliminates the statutory mandate for a "social equity" subcommittee, reducing codified focus on identity politics and race-based reparations within the regulatory framework.
  • Centralizes authority by ensuring the advisory board acts only at the direction of the Commission, preventing the board from becoming a rogue entity pursuing its own policy agenda.
  • Removes the mandatory "public safety" subcommittee, potentially reducing the focus on law enforcement concerns and community protection regarding cannabis establishments.
  • Eliminates the "market participation" subcommittee which was tasked with helping veteran-owned businesses, potentially hurting veterans looking to enter the industry.
  • Consolidates power in the Governor's appointed Chairperson and the Commission, reducing the checks and balances that a broader, independent advisory board provides.

Votes

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Full Bill Text

Changes to existing Rhode Island law · 14 additions · 39 deletions

It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows:

SECTION 1. Section 21-28.11-6 of the General Laws in Chapter 21-28.11 entitled "The Rhode Island Cannabis Act" is hereby amended to read as follows: 21-28.11-6. Cannabis advisory board.

(a) There is hereby established a cannabis advisory board, which is directed to work in collaboration with the commission and the administrator of the cannabis office to advise and issue recommendations on the use, commerce, regulation and effects of adult-use and medical cannabis within the state. The advisory board shall additionally provide recommendations to the commission regarding the administration and distribution of the social equity assistance fund established pursuant to § 21-28.11-31 on matters relating to the regulation and policy development of the state’s cannabis program.

(b) The advisory board shall convene at the request of the commission for the purpose of considering specific questions or issues identified by the commission, and shall issue recommendations in response to such requests. (b)(c) Membership. The advisory board shall consist of eleven (11) voting members, and eight (8) non-voting members.

(1) The board shall consist of the following non-voting members: the secretary of commerce or designee, the director of the department of labor and training or designee, the director of the department of health or designee, the commissioner of education or designee, the superintendent of public safety or designee, the director of the department of business regulation or designee, the secretary of the Executive Office of Health and Human Services (EOHHS) or designee, and a representative from the University of Rhode Island College of Pharmacy selected by the commission.

(2) The board shall consist of the following voting members: a social equity officer chairperson, who shall be appointed by the governor and serve as chair of the advisory board; two

(2) additional members to be appointed by the governor, one of whom shall represent the cannabis laboratory testing industry, and one of whom shall be appointed in accordance with subsection (e) of this section; four (4) members to be appointed by the speaker of the house, one of whom shall represent the cannabis cultivation industry, and three (3) of whom to be appointed in accordance with subsection (e) of this section; and four (4) members to be appointed by the president of the senate, one of whom shall represent the cannabis retail industry, and three (3) of whom to be appointed in accordance with subsection (e) of this section. (c)(d) Term of voting members. The voting members shall be appointed to serve three (3) year terms or until a successor is appointed. In the event of vacancy, the vacancy shall be filled in the manner of the original appointment for the remainder of the term. (d)(e) Compensation. The appointed members and representatives shall receive no compensation for their services. (e)(f) Representation. The members of the advisory board appointed by the governor, the speaker of the house and the president of the senate pursuant to the provisions of the chapter shall to the extent possible be individuals with expertise in the following areas: public and behavioral health, substance use disorder treatment, effective rehabilitative treatment for adults and juveniles, homelessness and housing, economic development, criminal justice, law enforcement and drug policy. Further, the advisory board shall include representation from communities most impacted by cannabis prohibition, such as individuals with prior drug convictions, the formerly incarcerated, and representatives of organizations servicing communities impacted by past federal and state drug policies. (f)(g) Quorum. To take action at a meeting, a majority of voting members of the board must be present and voting to constitute a quorum. (g)(h) Role and responsibilities. The advisory board shall:

(1) Consider all matters submitted to the board by the cannabis control commission;

(2) Advise and make recommendations to the commission on the preparation and promulgation of guidelines, rules and regulations and any changes to guidelines, rules and regulations that the advisory board deems fundamental or necessary for the commission’s review and consideration;

(3) Provide analysis and recommendations to the commission relating to the administration and distribution of the social equity assistance fund established pursuant to § 21-28.11-31;

(4) Conduct all meetings in compliance with chapter 46 of title 42 (the “open meetings act”); and

(5) Report the findings, analysis, recommendations and conclusions adopted and approved by the board to the commission within thirty (30) days of adoption and approval. (h)(i) Subcommittees. The chair may appoint subcommittees in order to develop and report recommendations and to expedite the work of the board; provided, however, that the chair shall appoint:

(1) A subcommittee on public health to develop recommendations on: products, labeling, marketing, advertising, related public health issues; potency, which may include a recommended maximum limit for individual servings of cannabis products; and packaging, which may include the development and implementation of a public health warning to appear on cannabis products;

(2) A subcommittee on public safety and community mitigation to develop recommendations on law enforcement, property, business, consumer, and any other issues that may have an affect on the locality of the cannabis establishment and the surrounding environment;

(3) A subcommittee on the cannabis industry to develop recommendations on cultivation, processing, manufacturing, transportation, distribution, seed-to-sale tracking systems and market stability;

(4) A subcommittee on market participation to develop recommendations on minority and veteran-owned businesses, local agriculture and growing cooperatives; and

(5) A subcommittee on social equity to develop recommendations on remedying the harm to individuals directly and adversely impacted by the past enforcement of cannabis-related laws.

SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage.