Rhode Island’s November elections will see 31 municipalities voting on whether they will opt into allowing adult-use cannabis retail sales and the resulting cannabis industry tax revenues.
31 Rhode Island Municipalities to Vote on Allowing Local Cannabis Sales in November
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Thirty-one Rhode Island municipalities will vote in November on whether to allow cannabis sales in their jurisdiction, WPRI reports. The cities and towns must decide whether to opt out or they will not be able to prohibit retail cannabis sales in their communities.
The towns that will vote on allowing cannabis sales include:
- Barrington
- Bristol
- Burrillville
- Charlestown
- Coventry
- Cumberland
- East Greenwich
- East Providence
- Glocester
- Hopkinton
- Jamestown
- Johnston
- Lincoln
- Little Compton
- Middletown
- Narragansett
- Newport
- New Shoreham
- North Kingstown
- North Providence
- North Smithfield
- Richmond
- Scituate
- Smithfield
- South Kingstown
- Tiverton
- Warren
- Westerly
- West Greenwich
- West Warwick
- Woonsocket
Rhode Island lawmakers approved adult-use cannabis legalization legislation in May and Gov. Dan McKee (D) signed the reforms into law two days later. Under the measure, adults 21 and older can purchase and possess up to an ounce of cannabis and keep 10 ounces at home for personal use. Adults can also cultivate up to six plants at home, including three mature and three immature plants. The state will license 33 retailers across six zones and impose a 10% excise tax, along with the state’s 7% sales tax, and a 3% tax which would go to municipalities.
Towns and cities that opt out of sales are not eligible for any of the revenue from retail cannabis sales. An early fiscal note on the bill estimated first-year sales – from 2023 to 2024 – would lead to $14 million in new revenue for Rhode Island with cities and towns each receiving about $2.5 million.
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