Rhode Island lawmakers vote to legalize marijuana, setting December 2022 start

In a historic vote, the Rhode Island legislature approved a measure that would legalize and regulate adult use of cannabis. The law now goes to the desk of Gov. Dan McKee, who is expected to sign the law into law.

With McKee’s signature, Rhode Island would become the 19th state to legalize adult use of marijuana.

According to the terms set out in the draft law, the first adult cannabis stores could open as early as December 1, 2022.

The vote wasn’t even close

After years of debate on this issue, today’s vote was not even close. The State Senate passed Bill 32-6, and the House of Representatives passed its 55-16 version.

The vote in the House of Representatives was followed by a 90-minute debate in which opponents of the bill put forward a variety of arguments against legalization. The Rhode Island Police Chiefs Association predictably insisted that cannabis was and remains a dangerous drug that should not be legalized.

Rep. Scott Slater, the main proponent of legalization in the House of Representatives, described the legislation as a “solid platform” to start selling and regulating a recreational marijuana market, according to the Providence Journal. But the bill isn’t perfect, Slater added, and will need to be refined over the years, as in other constitutional states.

What is allowed according to the invoice

Today’s passage puts a bill on the governor’s desk that:

• Allow adults 21 and older to purchase and possess up to one ounce of cannabis flower
• Allow adults to grow up to 3 cannabis plants at home
• Introduce a 10% retail cannabis excise tax on top of the regular retail sales tax
• By July 2024, automatically resolve past state and local cannabis convictions
• Allocate half of all new retail cannabis licenses to specific categories of applicants: 25% for social justice businesses and 25% for worker-owned cooperatives
• Create a Social Justice Relief Fund to provide social services, job training programs, and grants to people and communities harmed by the War on Drugs

Look for an opening day on December 1st

Under the passed law, the state’s three operating medical cannabis dispensaries would be the first stores to offer products for all adults starting December 1, 2022. More than 20 more stores are expected to open eventually, but it could be months or even years before it opens.

Today’s vote came just hours after the Delaware governor vetoed a similar law legalizing marijuana in Dover. This battle continues as lawmakers there may have enough votes to override the veto.

Bruce Barcott and Calvin Stovall

Leafly senior editor Bruce Barcott oversees news, investigations and feature projects. He is a Guggenheim Fellow and the author of Weed the People: The Future of Legal Marijuana in America.

Calvin Stovall is Leafly’s East Coast Editor. He writes and produces media in Atlanta, GA and runs day-to-day operations for The Artistic Unified Exchange, a non-profit organization that protects intellectual property on behalf of independent artists and underserved communities.

Check out articles by Bruce Barcott and Calvin Stovall

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