We Changed the Law. Now We’re Holding the Line.
For nearly a decade, Regulate RI fought to end marijuana prohibition in Rhode Island. In 2022, we won. Governor Dan McKee signed the Rhode Island Cannabis Act into law — legalizing, regulating, and taxing marijuana for adults 21 and older, and delivering automatic expungement for tens of thousands of Rhode Islanders burdened by past convictions.
But legalization was just the beginning. The work of making sure Rhode Island’s cannabis system is fair, equitable, and accountable continues — and so do we.
Who We Are
Regulate RI is a statewide coalition of citizens, advocates, and organizations who believed — and proved — that Rhode Island deserved a smarter cannabis policy. We represented parents and students, healthcare professionals and business owners, civil rights advocates and fiscal conservatives. Rhode Islanders from every walk of life united around one conviction:
Prohibition was failing. Regulation was the answer.
That meant licenses for businesses. Taxes that benefit the public. Age restrictions with real enforcement behind them. And an end to the arrests, the discrimination, and the wasted resources that decades of prohibition produced. Read more about us.
Why Prohibition Had to End
It wasn’t working. Marijuana was widely available across Rhode Island under prohibition — the difference was that it was sold with zero oversight, zero quality control, and zero age verification. Prohibition didn’t reduce use. It just made use less safe.
It wasn’t fair. People of color in Rhode Island were nearly three times more likely to be arrested for marijuana offenses than white residents, despite similar rates of use across all groups. A policy enforced that unequally is not justice — it is discrimination.
It wasted critical resources. Every hour spent on marijuana enforcement was an hour not spent solving violent crime. In 2012 alone, 750,000 Americans were arrested for marijuana offenses — while the majority of murders, rapes, and burglaries went unsolved.
It missed a massive economic opportunity. An unregulated black market generated zero tax revenue, zero jobs, and zero consumer protections. Regulation changed that — creating a legal industry, living-wage jobs, and millions in annual public revenue for Rhode Island.
What We Fought For — And Won
Rhode Island’s Marijuana Regulation, Control, and Taxation Act — the legislation at the heart of our decade-long campaign — delivered what we promised:
- An end to marijuana prohibition and its associated criminal penalties
- A licensed, regulated marketplace for adults 21 and older
- A 20% tax structure directing revenue back to Rhode Island communities
- Strict age verification requirements with real enforcement behind them
- Automatic expungement of past marijuana possession convictions
- Social equity provisions reserving licenses for disproportionately impacted communities
- A Cannabis Control Commission providing permanent, professional regulatory oversight
The Work That Remains
Passing the law was the milestone. Making it work is the mission. Rhode Island’s cannabis framework is still maturing — and the communities that bore the heaviest burden of prohibition deserve to see every promise of legalization fulfilled.
We continue to monitor expungement implementation, advocate for social equity in licensing, support consumer education, and hold regulators and the industry accountable to the standards Rhode Islanders were promised.
Read our full update: Where We Are Now →
Stay Connected
Rhode Island’s cannabis landscape continues to evolve — new regulations, new licenses, new legislative developments. We track it so you don’t have to.
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Regulate RI is a volunteer-driven coalition that fought to end marijuana prohibition in Rhode Island through education, advocacy, and grassroots organizing — and won. Founded in 2013. Victory in 2022. Holding the line ever since.