(Photo credit: Sasha Beck/Leafly).
Rhode Island marijuana regulators have voted to expand the hours during which licensed retailers can deliver marijuana to customers, reversing a decision made just over a month earlier to reject the same proposal.
The Rhode Island Cannabis Control Commission voted 2-1 on Friday, October 23, to expand permitted home delivery hours from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. to 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. The change would give retailers four additional hours each day to complete deliveries, including three additional hours in the evening.
The proposal was listed as Item G on the commission’s October 23 meeting agenda, which called for consideration of an amendment to state regulation 560-RICR-10-10-2.17. The vote represents a significant change from the commission’s position at its September 18 meeting.
During that earlier meeting, commissioners unanimously rejected a petition submitted by Liam Bulger, chief administrative officer and compliance director of Mother Earth Wellness, requesting the same expanded delivery schedule. According to the commission’s September meeting minutes, the rejection came with an agreement that staff would conduct additional research into delivery hours and safety considerations before the issue was reconsidered.
At Friday’s meeting, Commission Chair Michelle Reddish and Commissioner Layi Oduyingbo supported moving forward with the expansion, while Commissioner Robert Jacquard continued to express concerns about the safety of late-night marijuana deliveries.
Under Rhode Island’s existing regulations, marijuana home delivery is restricted to licensed retailers that receive commission approval for their delivery operations. Customers must be at least 21 years old or qualify under the state’s medical marijuana program, and identification must be verified. Deliveries must also comply with vehicle security, inventory tracking and transportation requirements.
The commission’s vote does not automatically authorize retailers to begin delivering until 11 p.m. As of October 26, the state’s published regulations still list the existing 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. restriction, and an effective date for the expanded hours has not been announced.
Once implemented, the change would expand Rhode Island’s legal marijuana delivery window from 12 hours to 16 hours daily, giving participating retailers greater flexibility to serve customers outside traditional business hours.
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