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Most Rhode Island Marijuana Social Equity License Applicants Have Been Disqualified

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8 months ago

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The commission also approved new rules for hemp products.

By Christopher Shea, Rhode Island Currant

Only 38 percent of pre-applicants for a cannabis retail license reserved for those affected by the war on drugs have been able to submit a formal application, the Cannabis Control Board announced Friday afternoon.

Of the 94 applications to be considered for a social equity license, 36 met the eligibility criteria after review. The committee received the certificate in a 2-0 vote on Friday and they now have until December 29th to submit applications to go to the lottery. The commission will award six social equity licenses through this lottery.

It was the first vote since the departure of President Kimberly Ahern 204,069 dollars a year left the post on October 21, 2026 to run for state attorney general.

Ahern’s usual seat between Commissioners Layi Oduyingbo and Robert Jacquard was empty while the other two members conducted business. In addition to voting to certify social equity applicants who have passed the eligibility test, the board formally approved hemp regulations previously administered by another agency.

Oduyingbo and Jacquard thanked Ahern for his work during the past two and a half years of meetings, including establishing rules governing Rhode Island’s recreational pot industry.

Olivia DaRocha, a spokeswoman for Gov. McKee’s (D) office, said Monday that the governor’s team is still working to identify a candidate to replace Ahern. That nomination would require Senate approval and is expected to be introduced early in the next legislative session, DaRocha said.

“In the meantime, the committee continues to work,” DaRocha wrote in an email to the Rhode Island Current.

Previous screenings of social equity applicants were performed by Massachusetts-based Creative Services, Inc.

To be certified and continue in the application process, social equity applicants must meet one of the following five criteria:

  1. 51 percent ownership and control One or more people have lived in a disproportionately affected area for at least five of the previous 10 years.
  2. 51 percent ownership and control One or more people who have been arrested or imprisoned for drug offenses that have since been decriminalized, or who have had a family member affected by the war on drugs.
  3. At least 10 full-time employees At least 51 percent of current employees live in a disproportionately affected area or were arrested/convicted of marijuana charges.
  4. ability to do demonstrate significant past experience or in business practices that promote economic empowerment in disproportionately affected areas.
  5. Not more than 400 percent of the median incomeas determined by the commission, in at least five of the past 10 years in an area of ​​disproportionate impact.

Over-impacted areas were determined by state regulations based on the federal poverty level, unemployment rate, number of students in the free school lunch program, and historical arrest rates by census tract. This applied to parts of five Rhode Island municipalities: Central Falls, Newport, Pawtucket, Providence and Woonsocket.

Those who do not meet the criteria can still apply for a standard license. Applications for all types of licenses must be made by December 29.

Under the 2022 law that legalized recreational cannabis, the commission could offer 24 new licenses to retailers, with six reserved for social equity applicants and another six for worker-owned cooperatives. All recreational licenses will be distributed across six geographic zones, with a maximum of four stores per zone.

Beginning Jan. 1, 2026, the state’s Office of Cannabis will have 90 days to review applications and verify that each meets eligibility qualifications before entering a lottery. The deadline set at the committee’s October 20 meeting is built in at least 60 days to allow applicants to secure approval at the local level for random selection.

The regulators is expected to start issuing licenses As soon as May 2026.

What about hemp?

Commissioners also voted to formally approve regulations for hemp products manufactured and sold in Rhode Island. The rules were approved under an emergency order in July after the commission took over oversight of hemp from the Department of Corporate Regulation before moving it to the new Bureau of Cannabis.

Carla Aveledo, the commission’s policy liaison, told the panel that the rules were mostly unchanged. Regulations still require products to be tested, labeled in a way that does not appeal to minors, and sales restricted to those 21 and older.

All products may contain 1 milligram total THC (the psychoactive component of the cannabis plant) per serving, or 5 milligrams total THC per package. That is somewhat contradictory The new rules passed by the federal government were intended to tighten the loopholes which have allowed the proliferation of psychoactive hemp products such as beverages and edibles.

“Staff will continue to monitor federal legislation and any changes to ensure that Rhode Island’s hemp laws are consistent with any federal requirements,” Aveledo said.

Rhode Island legalizes hemp-based alcoholic beverages starting in August 2024. The policy has divided the cannabis industry, which mostly opposes the products, and the liquor industry, which supports them but wants exclusive control over where they are sold.

The division called for the General Assembly’s Cannabis Control Commission to conduct a study on dosage limits, packaging standards, labeling requirements, licensing requirements and other ways to ensure that children do not accidentally consume intoxicating beverages.

The commission’s recommendations go to state lawmakers by March 1, 2026. The commission plans to hold hearings early next year as it shapes its study, commission spokeswoman Charon Rose said Monday.

This story was first published by the Rhode Island Currant.

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Saxony-Anhalt state government backs hemp innovation center in Mücheln

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10 hours ago

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July 17, 2026

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The German state of Saxony-Anhalt is supporting the development of a hemp information and competence center in Müchelnen (Geiseltal). The joint project known as IKHE – “Information and Competence Center for Hemp with Experience Trails” – is being carried out by the city of Mücheln (Geiseltal), the University of Applied Sciences Merseburg and the German Hemp Academy (Deutsche Hanf-Akademie eV).

The project has been given approximately 3.8 million euros as part of the New European Bauhaus (NEB) initiative, fully financed by the European Union’s Just Transition Fund (JTF).

The funding announcement was presented in Mücheln (Geiseltal) on July 7, 2026 by Gert Zender, State Secretary of the Ministry of Economy, Tourism, Agriculture and Forestry of Saxony-Anhalt.

© New Bauhauslers

Hemp is a versatile plant and one of the oldest crops cultivated by humans. For centuries, it was used to produce textiles, paper, and building and construction materials, before being largely displaced by fossil-based raw materials. Today, the renewed use of hemp opens up new possibilities for the ecologically and economically efficient production of building materials and fiber products. Grown in rotation with other crops, hemp improves soil quality, requires no crop protection products and requires little water.

Hanffaser Geiseltal eG a hemp industry processing cooperative is already active in the region. While Hanffaser Geiseltal processes the raw material, the IKHE partners are working to establish the information and competence center as a center for knowledge transfer, education and testing. Together, these efforts are turning Mücheln (Geiseltal) into a location with experience covering the entire hemp value chain.

At the heart of IKHE is an experimental building workshop where new bio-based building materials made from hemp are developed, tested and demonstrated in experimental building projects. This is complemented by a self-help building workshop, where both professionals and the public can learn how to work with hemp-based building materials through combined theoretical and practical seminars, and receive hands-on guidance for their building projects. Experiential trails will also allow visitors to explore where and how hemp can be used, in a hands-on way, from construction and textiles to food and cosmetics.

© New Bauhauslers

A bottom-up participatory approach is central to the project. From the very beginning, local residents, associations, schools and regional initiatives have been actively involved in the development and implementation of the project through open workshops and practical activities. In this way, the project combines formal scientific and technical knowledge with the practical expertise of craftsmanship and regional traditions, reflecting the values ​​of the new European Bauhaus of being beautiful, sustainable and inclusive.

IKHE is an Applied NEB Project and will be in operation until 2028. It is supported by the NEB Network Office Saxony-Anhalt, acting on behalf of the State Chancellery and the Saxony-Anhalt Ministry of Culture.

Source: The new Bauhauslers

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Federal Marijuana Rescheduling Hearing Wraps Up, With DEA Judge Laying Out Next Steps

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10 hours ago

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July 17, 2026

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A Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) hearing The Trump administration’s cannabis rescheduling proposal concluded, and the agency judge overseeing the proceeding set a deadline for the parties involved to file post-hearing briefs before the next recommendation on reform.

The multi-day hearing, which began late last month, ended Wednesday after presentations from a handful of states opposing federal cannabis reform.

DEA Chief Administrative Law Judge Derek Julius issued an order Thursday, saying that because “no closing time was granted” during the court days, participants in the process will be able to file post-trial documents, which are due Aug. 17.

Those documents can be up to 50 pages long and can include “closing arguments and arguments on any other matter raised by the court at the hearing.”

“This is a non-mandatory submission, so a named party will not be penalized for failing to file a post-hearing brief, and the absence of a submission means that there was no submission,” Julius wrote.

His order also states that participants can submit corrections to the daily transcripts of the proceedings by August 17.

“The amendments submitted by the designated parties are only proposed amendments. This panel will also examine the transcript for possible errors and indicate where amendments are needed,” wrote the judge. “The list created by the court will be compared with the list submitted by the Named Parties to create a list of final corrections. Thereafter, this court will issue an order approving the list of final corrections and include those corrections in the official copy of the transcript.”

“A fully redacted copy of the transcript of these proceedings will be made publicly available on the Agency’s website,” Julius said.

The judge said in his closing statement at the end of Wednesday’s hearing that he will work on writing his recommendation after receiving the next briefs on whether the government should move forward with broad marijuana rescheduling, but stressed that the final decision would rest with the DEA administrator.

Julius did not specify an anticipated timeline for the administrator’s recommendation of action.

At the hearing, DEA officials were tasked with defending the proposed cannabis reorganization featured testimony about the medical benefits of marijuana and its relative safety compared to other substances such as alcohol and opioids. It included appearances by a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) scientist and a doctor from New Hampshire. Medical marijuana provides relief to pain patients and can serve as an alternative to opioids.

Meanwhile, attorneys and witnesses for the parties opposing marijuana redistricting who attended the hearing focused on the alleged harms of cannabis use, as well as criticism of the recently approved changes. an analysis used to determine whether or not drugs have approved medical value.

DEA Administrator Terrance Cole only organizations and individuals opposed to marijuana reform have been invited to the hearing as a designated participant – telling followers that they do not meet the definition of “interested person” to participate because they are not “affected or prejudiced by any rule or proposed rule that may be issued.”

Participating opposition parties include Smart Approaches to Marijuana, the National Drug & Alcohol Screening Association, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, DUID Victim Voices, Kenneth Finn, Phillip A. Drum, and the states of Idaho, Indiana, and Nebraska.

Before the hearing began last month, marijuana reform activists rallied They held a press conference outside DEA headquarters to highlight how they feel of the process – that supporters of the reform were not invited to participate and that the proceedings were not broadcast live, despite the officials’ vow of “transparency”.

Marihuana Moments sent petitions to DEA Chief Administrative Law Judge Derek Julius and DEA Administrator Cole asking for them reverse the decision to ban the public from tuning into the cannabis hearing via live stream. A Congressmen and other journalists later joined that request.

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Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche in April He issued an order that immediately reclassified the state’s licensed medical cannabisas well as marijuana products approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) under Schedule I through Schedule III of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA).

A separate order was signed by the acting attorney general hearing marijuana III.

Preliminary hearing process on the marijuana redistricting process initiated by the Biden administration It was halted last year amid allegations of improper communications and witness selection.

the current The marijuana redistricting process is being challenged in several ways which have been upheld by a federal Court of Appeals. those pieces of State attorneys general have filed lawsuits against cannabis reform, Opponents of marijuana legalization and a a cannabis-based biopharmaceutical corporation.

Meanwhile, the reorganization of state-licensed medical cannabis is already having a major impact.

The Congressional Research Service published a report on the current rescheduling of cannabis Certified patients with medical marijuana from state licensed dispensaries are now eligible for Class III. “The order appears to allow end users to use marijuana medically without a CSA prescription,” he says.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) has published a Draft update to a gun purchase form to recognize the legal status of medical marijuana in the reprogramming. The revised section of the question states that only the “recreational use or possession of marijuana” is federally prohibited, omitting the prior form’s mention of medical cannabis.

The US Treasury and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) said they plan to issued new tax guidelines for the marijuana industry after reprogramming. The reform will benefit state-licensed marijuana businesses by allowing them to take federal tax deductions that are currently prohibited under IRS Code Section III, known as Section 280E.

Even the DEA, which has long opposed cannabis legalization and accused the Biden administration of stalling the initiative in the reorganization process, has done so. It launched a registration process for legal marijuana businesses in the state to take advantage of the federal benefits that come with the reform.

The Department of Transport, on the other hand, issued guidelines stating this use Legal medical cannabis in the state is still no excuse for truck drivers to test positive for drugspilots and other safety-sensitive personnel.

The The War Department released a memo making it clear that military service members were using marijuana and civilian employees of the department remain prohibited, even in the federal rescheduling of cannabis.

A congressional committee recently Federal officials voted to block further steps to reschedule cannabishowever lawmakers from both parties told Marihuana Moment they don’t think that provision will be enacted become law

Read the DEA’s post-trial hearing the order below:

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Photo Report: Cultivate 2026

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1 day ago

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July 16, 2026

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New varieties, commercial trends, packaging solutions, greenhouse developments, microbiological products, crop protection – there was a lot to see, learn, do and discover at Cultivate 2026, and we’ll be sure to share it all with you in the coming days. But first, it’s picture time (and nap time).

See the supplier photo report Cultivate 2026 here.

Find photo coverage of gardening companies on our sister site FloralDaily.

© Arlette Sijmonsma | MMJDaily.com

Pipp / GGS, the Berger team, the VidaWool team and Beneficial Insectary Cultivate are all at 2026.










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