Rhode Island Hemp businesses Don’t Have To Destroy Their Stock After Federal Ban Starts. They Just Can’t Sell It.
Rhode Island cannabis regulators revise guidance for farmers and retailers
Rhode Island’s hemp businesses can keep all of their intoxicating products after a new federal THC potency limit takes effect in less than two months — they just can’t sell them if Congress doesn’t change course.
An Oct. 8 bulletin from the state’s Cannabis Control Commission gives hemp businesses the option to quarantine existing inventory containing more than 0.4 milligrams of total THC per container. These products are set to become illegal nationwide come Dec. 11. The policy was included in an email the commission sent to all 201 of the state’s hemp licensees on Oct. 9.
“They are not permitted to be further processed, moved, distributed and/or be offered for sale unless explicitly authorized by the federal government and/or the Cannabis Control Commission,” the notice states.
Hemp licensees will have to submit an inventory report to the commission by Dec. 4, according to the bulletin. After Dec. 11, hemp businesses cannot add or remove products from their quarantined inventory. They can request to destroy those products at any time, but the state’s Cannabis Office must supervise the destruction. Regulators may also conduct inspections and inventory audits.
State regulators warned the hemp industry in a Sept. 11 bulletin that products exceeding the new limit “must be removed” prior to the federal deadline or else they faced fines.
The new federal potency limit was originally set to take effect Nov. 12, but lawmakers delayed the effective date one month as part of a short-term government funding bill signed by President Donald Trump in September.
Charon Rose, spokesperson for the Cannabis Control Commission, said state regulators updated the guidance to avoid forcing businesses to destroy inventory amid uncertainty over whether Congress might change course again before the deadline.
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