Ten applicants seeking retail hemp licenses may have to wait until next March or longer after the Rhode Island Cannabis Control Commission paused issuing new licenses pending the completion of a study on regulating intoxicating THC beverages sold in liquor stores and bars.
The three-member panel voted unanimously at its monthly meeting Friday to temporarily suspend taking applications and granting new licenses for businesses that allow on-site consumption. Liquor stores, bars and restaurants have been able to take part in the legal hemp market since last summer. As of Friday, the office had 10 pending initial applications for CBD/hemp retailer or distributor licenses and one retailer pending renewal, commission spokesperson Charon Rose wrote in an email to Rhode Island Current. Rose did not immediately provide the list of hemp vendor applicants.
Matthew Przygoda, the adult non-alcohol category manager for Craft Collective Homegrown Beverage Distributors in Bellingham, Massachusetts, told the commission that halting new licenses disrupts entrepreneurs and small businesses trying to enter the space legally.
"No one is better-equipped to verify age and ensure responsible dispensing than our on-premise retailer partners," he said.
Read more at Rhode Island Current
