Rhode Island heralds a new era for medical cannabis patients with digital applications

The Rhode Island Department of Health (RIDHO) recently announced its initiative to allow residents to apply for a medical cannabis card registration online. The Rhode Island Cannabis Licensing Portal went online on June 1st, providing a basic foundation for new and existing patients.

“The new system, known as the Rhode Island Cannabis Licensing Portal, allows existing cardholders to renew registrations, update personal information and make necessary changes to their existing registration cards,” the press release reads. “New patients applying for a medical marijuana registration card can now also apply through the cannabis licensing portal.”

A press release announced the program’s launch on June 1, specifying that the previous system had been “entirely paper-based.” Now applications can be approved or denied within 35 days of submitting an application.

As the new system rolls out, the press release says email alerts will eventually be phased out, but didn’t give an end date. “RIDOH will stop sending registration reminders and renewal forms in the coming months,” the announcement said. “It is very important that patients create an account on the portal to ensure they receive important news and updates from RIDOH, including renewal reminders 60 days before the expiration date.”

Rhode Island’s medicinal cannabis program was put into effect in 2006, according to a breakdown by Americans for Safe Access. Back then, patients were legally allowed to possess up to 2.5 ounces of cannabis, grow up to 12 plants at home and appoint two caretakers, and only eight medical conditions qualified for medicinal cannabis. The state has not set up a foundation for access to medical pharmacies for almost seven years. In 2011, former Governor Lincoln Chafee suspended licensing for compassion centers, but licensing resumed in 2012 and compassion centers began opening in 2013. After that, state officials helped expand the list of licensing requirements and slowly began rollout new rules.

Recreational cannabis sales in the state began much earlier, in December 2022. In its first week, when only five retailers were active, the industry generated $1.6 million in sales. The total is split between recreational sales ($786,000) and medicinal cannabis ($845,400). Between February and March, the state generated total sales of $8.7 million, with $3.3 million from medicinal cannabis sales and $5.3 million from recreational cannabis sales.

In December 2022, the number of medical cannabis patients was 15,062, but has slightly decreased following the legalization of recreational cannabis. In January 2023 there were 14,590 registered patients, followed by a slight increase of 14,673 in February and a decrease to 13,691 in March.

In a statement from Gov. Dan McKee, who signed the Recreational Cannabis Act into law earlier this year in May, he praised the potential of Rhode Island’s expansion into the recreational cannabis space. “This bill successfully addresses our priorities of ensuring cannabis legalization is equitable, controlled and safe,” said McKee. “It will also create a procedure to automatically overturn previous cannabis convictions. My government’s original legalization plan also contained such a provision, and I am pleased that the Assembly has recognized the importance of this particular issue. The end result is a win for our state, both socially and economically.”

Most recently, in May, McKee nominated three people to serve on a regulatory panel that will “oversee the regulation, licensing and control of adult-use and medicinal cannabis in the Ocean State.” McKee-appointed panel chair Kimberly Ahern expressed hope to continue the “good job” regulators have done in her state so far. “The first six months of adult use has demonstrated our state’s success in carefully expanding into this new industry,” Ahern said. “I look forward to working with my fellow Commissioners to regulate cannabis in a safe, transparent and equitable manner in the years to come.”