Application fee: $7,500

Annual license fee: $30,000

Valid for: 1 year

Licensing Process:

1. Submit a complete application provided by the CCC with all the required information. Each application must be submitted along with the application fee of $7,500.
2. The CCC will review the application and determine whether it is “qualified”.
3. If the application is deemed “qualified”, the applicant will be notified by the CCC. This shall be equivalent to provisional approval.

Cannabis retail sales applicants who have been provisionally approved must meet the following requirements before they receive the final license:

• Payment of the annual license fee of $30,000.
• A current Certificate of Occupancy for the cannabis establishment.
• Updated interest holder/key person disclosure.
• Evidence of completion of divestiture plan, if necessary.
• Evidence that the provisionally approved applicant has obtained a cannabis seed-to-sale tracking system and all equipment and software required to implement tracking.
• An attestation by a bona fide labor organization stating that the applicant has entered into and will abide by the terms of a labor peace agreement.

4. The CCC will proceed to carry out a random drawing to select licensees for each geographic zone from the pool of qualified applicants.
5. Before the final license is issued, the CCC will inspect the applicant’s premises.
6. If the inspection is satisfactory, the final license will be issued.

Initially, only 6 social equity retail licenses will be issued during an open application period announced by the CCC. In the future, the CCC may choose to expand the number of available licenses.

For the first 6 licenses, the application fee will be waived. For subsequent license applications, the application fee shall be $7,500. The annual license fee of $30,000 will be waived for the first year of operation for the initial 6 social equity retail licensees. All subsequent social equity retail licensees shall pay the annual license fee including the first year, unless it is waived or reduced in accordance with the Social Equity Assistance Program and Fund by the CCC.

The license will be valid for one year.

Licensing process:

1. Submit a complete application to the CCC with the required application fee, if applicable.
2. The CCC will forward a copy of the application to the city or town in which the proposed cannabis establishment is planned to be located.
3. Within 90 days, the CCC will decide whether the application is complete and if it is, the applicant will be notified that their application has been deemed “qualified”. This shall be equivalent to provisional approval.

Social equity retail license applicants who have been provisionally approved must meet the following requirements before they receive the final license:

• Payment of the annual license fee of $30,000, if applicable.
• A current Certification of Occupancy for the cannabis establishment.
• An updated interest holder/key person disclosure.
• Evidence of completion of a divestiture plan, if necessary.
• Evidence that the provisionally approved applicant has obtained a cannabis seed-to-sale tracking system and all equipment and software required to implement tracking.

4. The CCC will proceed to carry out a random drawing to select licensees for each geographic zone from the pool of qualified applicants.
5. Before the final license is issued, the CCC will inspect the applicant’s premises.
6. If the inspection is satisfactory, the final license will be issued.

Application fee: $7,500

Annual license fee: $30,000

Valid for: 1 year.

Initially, only 6 workers’ cooperative cannabis retail sales licenses will be issued during an open application period announced by the CCC. In the future, the CCC may choose to expand the number of available licenses.

Additional information required to be submitted with the application:

• For the business plan:
  • A 3 year projected income statement.
  • Number and category description of full-time equivalent employees and associated payroll expenses required for staffing.
  • Profit sharing or a profit allocation plan.
• For the Operations Manual, the staffing plan must include job descriptions, employment contracts and volunteer agreements, if applicable.

Licensing process:

1. Submit a complete application to the CCC with the required application fee, if applicable.
2. The CCC will forward a copy of the application to the city or town in which the proposed cannabis establishment is planned to be located.
3. Within 90 days, the CCC will decide whether the application is complete and if it is, the applicant will be notified that their application has been deemed “qualified”. This shall be equivalent to provisional approval.

Workers’ Cooperative Cannabis Retail Sales license applicants who have been provisionally approved must meet the following requirements before they receive the final license:

• Payment of the annual license fee of $30,000.
• A current Certification of Occupancy for the cannabis establishment.
• An updated interest holder/key person disclosure.
• Evidence of completion of a divestiture plan, if necessary.
• Evidence that the provisionally approved applicant has obtained a cannabis seed-to-sale tracking system and all equipment and software required to implement tracking.
• An attestation by a bona fide labor organization stating that the applicant has entered into and will abide by the terms of a labor peace agreement.

4. The CCC will proceed to carry out a random drawing to select licensees for each geographic zone from the pool of qualified applicants.
5. Before the final license is issued, the CCC will inspect the applicant’s premises.
6. If the inspection is satisfactory, the final license will be issued.

Application fee: $2,000

Annual license fee: $4,500

Valid for: 1 year.

Additional information required to be submitted with the application includes:

• A plan for distinguishing between sales of finished cannabis products at wholesale based on designation for medical or adult use sales, if applicable.
• Evidence of compliance with the Minimum Requirements for Departmental Approval of Volatile Solvent-Based Hydrocarbon Extraction Operations, if applicable.

Licensing process:

1. Submit a complete application provided by the CCC along with the required application fee.
2. The CCC will evaluate whether the application is complete and approve or deny the application.
3. The Applicant will be notified if their application has been approved and must then meet the prerequisites to issuance of the final license.

Prerequisites that must be met before the final license is issued include:

• Payment of the annual license fee of $4,500.
• A description of the final physical location of the cannabis establishment.
• Evidence that the final physical location of the cannabis establishment is not located within 500 feet of the property line of a preexisting public or private school.
• A current Certificate of Occupancy for the cannabis establishment.
• Evidence of approval from the state fire marshal’s office for all forms of manufacturing that use a heat source or flammable solvent.
• Evidence of ownership of property or agreement by owner of property to allow operation of a cannabis product manufacturer on the property.
• A final diagram of the cannabis establishment with the location where cannabis will be stored, processed and packaged, as well as where security alarms and cameras and surveillance recording storage will be located.
• The legal name, current address and date of birth of any interest holders, employees and agents of the cannabis product manufacturer.

4. The CCC will carry out an inspection of the premises.
5. If the inspection is satisfactory, the final license will be issued and the licensee may commence operations.

Application fee: $10,000

Annual license fee: $500,000

Valid for: 1 year.

Additional information required to be submitted with the application includes:

• Non-profit corporation compliance including a certificate of incorporation or certificate of authority, copies of articles of incorporation and bylaws and documentation of recognition as a tax-exempt organization by the US Internal Revenue Service, if applicable.
• For the business plan:
  • Applicant’s experience operating a non-profit organization and experience operating a medical cannabis business, as applicable.
  • Services for hardship patients and charity care.
• For the Operations Manual, information regarding:
  • Patient and personal data privacy.
  • Patient confidentiality, education, counseling and outreach.
  • Assuring steady supply for patients.
• For the physical location of the cannabis establishment:
  • There may be one additional location proposed for the secure cultivation of medical cannabis.
  • Evidence that it will not be located within 1,000 feet of the property line of a preexisting public or private school.
• A certification regarding nonprofit compliance including all certifications and information required in the regulations.
• The compassion center and its interest holders/key persons may not have any material financial interest or control in another Rhode Island cannabis establishment license.

Licensing process:

1. Submit a complete application provided by the CCC along with the required application fee.
2. The CCC will review the application and determine whether it is “qualified”.
3. If the application is deemed “qualified”, the applicant will be notified by the CCC. This shall be equivalent to provisional approval.

Compassion Center license applicants who have been provisionally approved must meet the following requirements before they receive the final license:

• Payment of the annual fee of $500,000.
• Evidence of full compliance with local zoning laws.
• A current Certification of Occupancy for the cannabis establishment.
• An updated interest holder/key person disclosure.
• Evidence of completion of a divestiture plan, if necessary.
• Evidence that the provisionally approved applicant has obtained a cannabis seed-to-sale tracking system and all equipment and software required to implement tracking.

4. The CCC will proceed to carry out a random drawing to select licensees for each zone from the pool of qualified applicants.
5. Before the final license is issued, the CCC will inspect the applicant’s premises.
6. If the inspection is satisfactory, the final license will be issued.

Annual authorization fee: $30,000

Additional information required to be submitted with the application include:

• The applicant’s legal name, mailing address, phone numbers and Compassion Center license number.
• The physical location of the cannabis establishment by lot number, street address and mailing address.
• Square footage of the cannabis establishment retail facility and square footage of the licensed cultivation facility, if applicable.
• Name and contact information of the applicant’s compliance officer and, if a different person, the designated individual responsible for maintenance of the Medical Marijuana Program (MMP) service levels and compliance with existing MMP program requirements, rules and regulations.
• Policies and procedures to maintain a sufficient quantity and variety of medical cannabis products.
• Description and visual rendering of the plan to physically separate sales areas for adult use and medical use.
• A plan and description of the methods, protocols and practices that will be used to physically separate medical and adult use inventory, storage and customer-facing floor and display areas for available products.
• A description of the plan to prioritize patient and caregiver identification verification and physical entry into retail areas if a situation arises where the number of individuals allowed to enter must be restricted.
• Updated standard operating procedures for both adult use and medical cannabis service.
• An updated version of home delivery plan for adult use retail sales, if the Compassion Center plans to provide such a service for adult use cannabis products as well.
• An attestation from a bona fide labor organization stating that the applicant meets the requirements relating to Labor Peace Agreements.
• If the applicant plans to transition from not-for-profit to for-profit, supporting documentation including timetables for such transition, copies of proposed articles of merger and other relevant corporate documents.
• An affidavit of compliance with filing all required tax returns and paying all taxes due to the State of Rhode island.

Licensing process:

1. Submit a complete application provided by the CCC.
2. The CCC will forward a copy of the application to the city or town in which the cannabis establishment is planned to be located.
3. Within 90 days, the CCC will determine whether to approve or deny the application.
4. The applicant will be notified if their application has been approved and must then meet the prerequisites to issuance of the final license.

Prerequisites required to be met before the final license is issued:

• Payment of the required authorization fee of $30,000.
• Evidence of completion of a divestiture plan, if necessary.

5. The CCC will carry out an inspection of the premises.
6. If the inspection is satisfactory, the final license will be issued and the licensee may commence operations.

A vertically integrated compassion center authorized to cultivate cannabis may apply for a hybrid cultivation license in the following manner:

1. Submit an application to the CCC with the application fee of $3,500.
2. Maintain a Compassion Center license with hybrid retail authorization in good standing in accordance with the Cannabis Act, the Medical Marijuana Act and the final regulations.
3. Make good faith efforts to ensure that adult use cannabis cultivation has no significant adverse effect on the medical cannabis program and patient needs.

Medical

All medical marijuana cultivators must register their location with the Department of Public Safety.

Hybrid

Eligibility criteria for transitioning from a medical cultivator to a hybrid cultivator:

• Be in good standing as a medical cannabis cultivator.
• Make good faith efforts to ensure that adult use cannabis cultivation operation does not have a significant adverse effect on the medical cannabis program and patient needs.

The hybrid cannabis cultivator licensee shall submit an updated floor plan and satisfy other requirements including a final inspection by the CCC.

After transition, the medical cannabis cultivator licensee’s facility-size license class will be translated to the equivalent canopy-size license class as detailed below:

Adult Use

Application fee: $4,500

Annual license fees:

Valid for: 1 year

Licensing process:

1. Submit a complete application provided by the CCC along with the required application fee of $4,500. If an applicant wishes to submit an application for a proposed canopy size or facility size greater than 10,000 sq. ft., they must contact the CCC in advance.
2. The CCC will evaluate the application and decide whether it should approve or deny it.
3. If the application is approved, the applicant should meet the prerequisites before the final license is issued.
4. Before the final license is issued, the CCC will carry out an inspection of the premises.
5. If the inspection is satisfactory, the final license will be issued.

Prerequisites that must be met before the final license is issued include:

• Payment of the relevant annual license fee.
• A description of the final physical location of the cultivation premises.
• Evidence of compliance with local zoning laws.
• A current Certificate of Occupancy.
• A final diagram of the cannabis establishment with the location where cannabis will be stored, processed and packaged, as well as where security alarms and cameras and surveillance recording storage will be located.
• The legal name, current address and date of birth of any interest holders, employees and agents of the cultivator.

Cannabis testing laboratories are licensed by Rhode Island Department of Health (RIDOH) and RIDOH’s testing regulations are applied to cannabis, established in the Licensing Analytical Laboratories for Sampling and Testing Cannabis.

Annual license fee: $5,000

The license expires on the 31st of December each year. Annual license renewal application shall be submitted on forms provided by RIDOH.

Information required to be submitted with the application includes:

• The applicant’s legal name, certificate of incorporation or certificate of authority, articles of incorporation and bylaws and documentation of recognition as a tax-exempt organization by the US Internal Revenue Service, if applicable.
• A business plan including scope of activities, budget and resource narratives as well as the timeline for starting operations.
• The proposed physical location for the analytical laboratory by lot number and mailing address along with:
  • Evidence of compliance or preliminary determination of compatibility of the location with the local zoning laws.
  • A draft diagram of the proposed facilities.
  • A description of measures taken to ensure that cannabis at the establishment will not be visible from the street.
  • Evidence of ownership of property or agreement by owner of property to allow the operation of an analytical laboratory on the property.
• The legal name, current address and date of birth of each principal officer, director or owner of the analytical laboratory.
• A list of all persons or entities which have a direct or indirect authority over the management or policies of the analytical laboratory.
• A copy of the licensee’s management agreement and list of persons who have an ownership interest in or operational control over the management company, if applicable.
• A list of all persons or business entities which have an ownership interest in the applicant entity, whether direct or indirect.
• If licensed premises or other operational assets will be owned or leased by a different person or entity, their legal name and current address as well as a list of all persons or entities having ownership in such entity, whether direct or indirect.
• Legal names and current addresses of all creditors holding a security interest in the premises or other assets.
• A tax affidavit.

Licensing process:

1. Submit a complete application provided by RIDOH.
2. RIDOH will evaluate the application and notify the applicant if their application has received preliminary approval.
3. If the application has received preliminary approval, the applicant must meet the prerequisites.

The prerequisites that must be met before the final license is issued include:

• The application previously submitted, with updates.
• A description of the final physical location of the analytical laboratory.
• Evidence of compliance of the facility with local zoning laws.
• A current Certificate of Occupancy for the physical address of the analytical laboratory.
• Evidence of divestiture of prohibited material financial interest and control, if necessary.
• Evidence that all directors, managers, officers, agents and employees of the analytical laboratory have applied for a Cannabis Registry Identification Card from the Department of Business Regulation (DBR).
• The laboratory quality assurance plan and procedures manual.

4. The applicant must then submit documentation of approval of occupancy from the State Fire Marshall and a copy of all Registry Identification Cards from the DBR to RIDOH.
5. The applicant must pay the annual license fee of $5,000.
6. RIDOH will also inspect the premises before the license is issued.
7. Within 30 days after the licensing requirements have been met, and if the inspection is satisfactory, the applicant will be issued the final license.