Lawmakers in Rhode Island introduced a new marijuana legalization bill on Friday. This comes just weeks before the end of the 2021 legislative session.

Currently, this new bill is the third piece of legislation for legalization. The governor filed a separate bill proposal, and Senate leaders filed the other. Two sources familiar with the situation said lawmakers would likely reconvene in September to go over the three proposals because time is running out.

The new bill from Rep. Scott Slater (D) and several cosponsors has various similarities to the other measures. For example, the policies to tax and regulate cannabis for adult use are similar. The new bill is unique in that it has more focus on addressing social equity than the other two measures. For instance a new social equity assistance fund will be created to support restorative justice, jail diversion, and cannabis industry workforce development. 

“I feel like it will be good and something that can pass which tries to address many of the concerns of interested parties,” Slater said.

The measure strives to gradually establish a recreational marijuana market, build a consensus from stakeholders, and prevent oversaturation of the market.

“We need to learn from past mistakes in the marijuana program. In 2016, licensed cultivators were allowed to enter the market with no analysis of what our market could support,” Slater said. “Because there was no limit on applicants, dozens of people spent enormous sums of money to enter a market that could never support them. Cultivators are still struggling today from that decision that set them up to fail.”

What is in the Measure?

Adults 21 and older may purchase and possess up to one ounce of marijuana in public. Adults can also grow up to six cannabis plants in their homes. There will be a maximum of 12 plants in residences containing more than one adult.

Unlike the other two proposals, Slater’s bill calls for automatic expungements for people with prior cannabis convictions.

The Department of Business Regulation will oversee the marijuana program. Initially, they will license 15 recreational retailers, and they will reserve five licenses for social equity applicants. One additional permit will go to a worker-owned cooperative.

The remaining licenses will go to the current three medical cannabis dispensaries and six unknown operators participating in a planned lottery this summer.

In the measure, the definition of an equity applicant will be left up to regulators to decide. In 2025, the department will issue additional licenses based on market factors.

The bill calls for an additional eight percent state excise tax and a local excise tax of five percent on top of the state’s general sales tax. This revenue will go to the state’s general fund.

Will Anything Happen in 2021?

The Legislature is currently holding both proposals from the governor and legislative leaders. So despite top lawmakers saying that marijuana legalization is “inevitable” in Rhode Island, advocates might have to wait until after the 2021 legislative session to see reform.

House Speaker Joseph Shekarchi and Senate President Dominick Ruggerio have both said that they are not rushing to legalize marijuana. 

“I want to be steady and slow. I want to study it more and take a deliberative approach, Shekarchi said. 

Ruggerio has said that “reform is indeed inevitable, but legalization might not happen in 2021.”

Since early April, the two proposals have sat in the Legislature, and a joint committee heard both measures.

Now with the new bill from Slater, lawmakers have three paths to guide them to legalization. But with time running out in the 2021 legislative session, recreational marijuana might have to wait until the following session to move forward. 

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