Cannabis Rules & Regulations: Rhode Island

Rhode Island Cannabis History

In 2006, Rhode Island became the 11th state to legalize medical marijuana with the institution of R.I. Gen. Laws § 21-28.6-4, allowing residents to use, possess, and cultivate limited amounts of marijuana at home.

Rhode Island’s medical marijuana patient registry and regulations are established in 216-RICR-20-10-3.

Rhode Island Child-Resistant Packaging Rules

Rhode Island’s child-resistant marijuana packaging and labeling regulations are established in 230-RICR-80-05-1, and require the following:

1.5.2 General Packaging Requirements

A. All retail-ready medical marijuana products must be in compliant packaging upon entering the compassion center retail sale space.
B. In addition to any other requirements pursuant to § 1.5 of this Part, any package containing retail-ready medical marijuana product must:
1. Be opaque, of a neutral color, and light resistant;
a. Neutral colors include but are not limited to: black, white, gray, beige, brown, and tan. Neutral colors do not include primary and secondary colors (such as red, orange, yellow, green, blue, or purple) or any variant of primary or secondary colors.
2. Fully enclose the product;
3. Protect the product from contamination;
4. Not impart any toxic or deleterious substance to the medical marijuana product;
5. Be Child Resistant as defined in § 1.1 of this Part; and
6. Be able to be resealed in a Child Resistant manner unless the package contains a single-serving medical marijuana edible or ingestible pursuant to § 1.5.2(D) and (E) of this Part respectively.

E. Additional Packaging Requirements for Medical Marijuana Ingestibles

1. A single serving unit, if sold individually, of a Medical Marijuana Ingestible must be placed into a child-resistant container that may or may not be resealable.
2. Multiple single serving units may be placed together into a single child resistant and resealable package.
3. Multiple packages may be bundled and sold together so long as the total amount of THC per bundled package does not exceed the maximum amount a patient can possess pursuant to the Act and the equivalency table in § 1.14 of this Part.
4. For Medical Marijuana Ingestibles in liquid form packaged as a single serving unit, the container may be sealed using a metal crown cork style bottle cap.
5. For Medical Marijuana Ingestibles in liquid form with multiple serving units, the container must have a resealing cap or closure.
6. Medical Marijuana Ingestibles in liquid form with multiple serving units must include within the package:
a. A measuring device such as a measuring cap, cup or dropper that is capable of dispensing a ten (10) mg serving unit;
b. Hash marks on the package do not qualify as a measuring device.

1.5.3 General Labeling Requirements

A. Each package containing retail-ready medical marijuana products must be labeled with all required information pursuant to § 1.5 of this Part before being sold to a registered patient, registered primary caregiver or authorized purchaser.
B. Labeling text must be:
1. No smaller than size 6 font, unless otherwise specified.
2. In Times New Roman, Calibri, Arial, Helvetica or any other font determined by DBR to be easily read.
3. In black or white, unless otherwise specified.
4. Clearly written or printed in the English language.
a. In addition to the required English label, licensees may include an additional, accurate foreign language translation on the label that otherwise complies with these rules.
C. All required information must be unobstructed and conspicuous. Multiple labels may be affixed to the package, provided that none of the information required is obstructed.
D. Required information may be stated in a peel-back accordion, expandable, or extendable style so long as the label can be easily identified by a consumer as containing important information.
E. All packages containing retail-ready medical marijuana products must be clearly labeled with the following information:
1. The business(es) or tradename(s) and license number(s) of the licensee(s) who produced the product;
2. The business or tradename and license number of the compassion center selling the product;
3. The unique identifier generated by the Medical Marijuana Program Tracking System;
4. Total THC and Total CBD as provided by a licensed cannabis testing laboratory;
a. Upon request, a compassion center must disclose the name of the licensed cannabis testing lab that conducted the tests and provide the results of all required tests for any medical marijuana or medical marijuana product.
5. A DBR-selected universal warning symbol must appear on the front or most predominantly displayed area of the package, no smaller than one (1) inch by one (1) inch;
a. Vape cartridges sold containing medical marijuana product must include the DBR-approved symbol in a manner that is clear and conspicuous;
6. If applicable, the recommended expiration date, or “use by” date;
7. Poison Control Contact Information “American Association of Poison Control Center (800) 222-1222”; and
8. For smokable and vapable products, the net weight of the medical marijuana product prior to its placement in the package, using a standard of measure compatible with the tracking system.

F. Additional Labeling Requirements for Retail-Ready Medical Marijuana Infused Products:

1. Total contents of THC and CBD must be stated per serving unit in milligrams (mgs), and in font larger than size 6, bolded, underlined and in red, so as to stand from surrounding text to the consumer;
2. Total contents of THC and CBD must be stated per package, in milligrams (mgs), in font larger than size 6, bolded, underlined and in red, so as to stand out from surrounding text to the consumer;
3. The serving size; and
4. The number of servings per package.