Rhode Island’s cannabis license rollout has hit a snag, leaving entrepreneurs frustrated and uncertain about the future of their businesses. The state’s Cannabis Control Commission had planned to award 20 new retail licenses, but a federal judge’s ruling on April 8 temporarily halted the process.
The ruling, which stems from a lawsuit challenging Rhode Island’s residency requirement for cannabis business owners, has put the entire process on hold. The requirement, which states that 51% of a cannabis company must be owned by a Rhode Island resident, has been deemed unconstitutional by the judge.
Andre Dev, a listed owner of PVD Flowers and founder of the Community Cannabis Network of Rhode Island, expressed his disappointment and frustration with the situation. “We just have to sit here and wait now,” he said. “It’s been incredibly difficult to navigate the process for both myself and other small-scale operators aspiring to win licenses, and it’s not sustainable.”
Dev’s sentiments were echoed by Asher Schofield, co-owner of the Frog & Toad gift shops in Providence, who has spent over $100,000 in his bid to open a workers cooperative cannabis retail shop. “It’s been slow as molasses,” he said. “Rhode Island had the opportunity to be at the vanguard of the workers’ cooperative cannabis industry, the first in the nation, and instead, we’re smothering it.”
The commission is facing pressure to issue emergency regulations that set a clear licensing timeline. Tre Miller, vice chair of the nonprofit Co-op Rhody and founding worker-owner of a cooperative license applicant, urged the commission to act quickly to avoid further delays. “If the CCC fails to act quickly, the cycle of the rich getting richer will only multiply,” he said.
The commission is scheduled to discuss the recent ruling behind closed doors on Tuesday, with its next regular open session meeting set for Friday. In the meantime, entrepreneurs like Dev and Schofield are left waiting and wondering what the future holds for their businesses.
