Rhode Island Officials Support Ban On Serving Hemp THC Drinks In Bars And Restaurants With Liquor Licenses

*“All retailers selling intoxicating hemp products should be held to
similar high safety standards as cannabis retailers.”*

*By Christopher Shea, Rhode Island Currant*

For a year, Rhode Island bars and restaurants had the opportunity to secure
a license from the state’s former Office of Cannabis Regulation to sell
intoxicating THC-infused beverages despite state regulations that prohibit
them from being combined with alcohol, tobacco or nicotine.

Over 100 licensed retailers obtained a license between August 2024 and July
2025 when the Cannabis Control Commission put the brakes on issuing any new
licenses to establishments that allow onsite consumption of alcohol in
“furtherance of public health and safety.”

Now as regulators race to codify rules to catch up with the marketplace,
the association representing the state’s hospitality industry is voicing
strong opposition to the commission’s recommendation that lawmakers codify
a ban on the sale of THC drinks at venues with a liquor license.

“They’re assuming we’re not going to follow the law,” Farouk Rajab,
president and CEO of the Rhode Island Hospitality Association, said in an
interview Monday.

Rajab said he was disappointed to see the commission recommend a ban in
its final report submitted to the General Assembly on March 1. But he was
not shocked that it still made the cut.

“I think decisions are already made even before the listening sessions,” he
said. “This is targeting an industry, that’s all.”

The 11-page report details Rhode Island’s existing rules governing
hemp-derived beverages, along with recommendations over labeling, testing
and taxing the products.

Carla Aveledo, chief of policy for the commission, said no one single
industry was being targeted.

“All retailers selling intoxicating hemp products should be held to similar
high safety standards as cannabis retailers,” she said.

Hemp became legal at the federal level after the passage of the 2018 Farm
Bill, with drinks hitting the market in Rhode Island as regulators were
crafting rules for awarding licenses for retail cannabis establishments.
Regulations allowing the drinks sale were approved by the former Office of
Cannabis Regulation in 2024, rules that have since been adopted by the
state’s Cannabis Office.

But the proliferation of hemp-derived THC drinks led to a debate on whether
they should even be legal at all in Rhode Island. Members of the state’s
recreational cannabis industry have been largely opposed to allowing THC
products to be sold outside the few existing licensed pot shops.

Which is why the General Assembly last year tasked the Cannabis Control
Commission to come up with suggestions on how to deal with hemp-derived
drinks, most of which are produced out-of-state.

Rajab said the association created training modules that “allow for safe
handling” of the drinks. The online course details how the brain’s
receptors react to cannabis, onset times, and how to prevent
overconsumption of THC.

The association’s module even instructs hospitality workers to never serve
THC drinks with alcohol.

“Mixing THC-infused beverages with alcohol can lead to unpredictable and
unsafe situations,” it states. “As a server, it is your responsibility to
discourage customers from consuming THC beverages alongside alcoholic
drinks. Educate them on the risks and promote safer consumption practices
to ensure their well-being.”

Drinks are often sold in packs of four cans in liquor stores. State
regulations limit the serving of 1 milligram of THC per drink and no more
than 5 milligrams of THC “per package.”

Rajab said rather than ban restaurants from selling drinks, the state
should codify regulations to guide the hospitality industry. He pointed to
Minnesota, which has allowed drinks to be sold at liquor stores, grocery
stores, and bars since 2023.

“It’s served safely there,” he said.

The commission’s report similarly highlights how “Lower-Potency Hemp
Edibles” are regulated in the land of 10,000 lakes. For a bar in Minnesota
to serve hemp-derived products, it must obtain an on-site consumption
endorsement, which is selected when completing the license application.

But even Minnesota regulators admit there’s a big question mark as to
whether drinks will continue to be sold after federal restrictions
regulating hemp’s potency are scheduled to take effect in November.

“That kind of threw the entire industry nationwide through a loop,” Jim
Walker, a spokesperson for the Minnesota Office of Cannabis Management,
told Rhode Island Current. “If we do get to November and there’s no safety
net involved, we as an office would help to offramp a lot of these
businesses.”

Congress is considering legislation that would delay enforcement of the ban
for two years, which could still allow THC-derived drinks to be sold.

Aveledo said Rhode Island’s Cannabis Control Commission continues to
monitor federal hemp policy and acknowledged it may impact regulators’
plans to update the state’s hemp rules.

“The Commission intends to draft updates to the hemp regulations in 2026,”
she said. “However, recent federal activity and future actions remain
uncertain, which may delay the regulatory drafting to early 2027 to ensure
our framework is fully informed and strategically aligned.”

*This story was first published by Rhode Island Currant.*

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