Ten hopeful entrepreneurs are stuck in limbo this summer. Their applications for hemp retail licences are sitting in a bureaucratic holding pattern, with no clear landing in sight. Why? A regulatory pause — one that’s stirring debate from Providence to Pawtucket — is now in place as Rhode Island officials dig into the growing sales of THC-infused drinks in places like bars, pubs and liquor stores.
The state’s Cannabis Control Commission (CCC) has made it clear: they’re not comfortable with the current oversight — or lack thereof — around these potent drinks. And until there’s a better understanding of what’s being sold, where, and how strong it really is, those licence applications are on ice.
THC drinks flowing freely, but who’s testing them?
This isn’t just a paperwork problem. There’s a deeper question here about what exactly is being sold over the counter and over the bar.
The drinks in question aren’t your average CBD seltzers. They’re packed with Delta-9 THC — the psychoactive compound found in cannabis — yet some of them never see the inside of a licensed lab. As CCC Chair Kim Ahern put it bluntly: “If it’s not been tested by a state-certified laboratory, it’s difficult to say [if] what’s on the side of the tin is what people are getting.”
Some of these beverages are being sold at doses up to 10 milligrams of THC — which is the same potency as some recreational cannabis edibles — but without the same packaging or testing standards.
That worries health officials and regulators alike.
Not a ban — but definitely a freeze
Let’s be clear: this isn’t a ban. The CCC isn’t outlawing the drinks or saying they can’t be sold altogether. But it is hitting the brakes on new hemp retail outlets until March 1, 2025 — at the earliest.
That decision came down earlier this month and affects a small but growing niche of retail operators. Here’s what’s happening:
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Current licensed sellers can keep doing business — for now.
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No new retail hemp licences will be issued until the THC drink review is finished.
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Officials plan to use this pause to work with the Department of Health and other agencies to draft recommendations.
That timeline could stretch longer if the state feels more regulation is needed.
Where you buy it changes how it’s regulated
Here’s where things get murky. Cannabis edibles sold in dispensaries? Fully regulated. Hemp-based THC drinks in bars and bottle shops? Not so much.
It all comes down to how the THC is derived. Products made from hemp — legally defined as cannabis with less than 0.3% Delta-9 THC by dry weight — fall under different rules. Thanks to a loophole from the 2018 federal Farm Bill, hemp-derived THC has slipped into the mainstream with far less oversight.
Right now in Rhode Island:
| Product Type | Where Sold | Lab Tested? | Age Restriction |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cannabis edibles | Licensed dispensaries | Yes | 21+ |
| Hemp THC drinks | Bars, liquor stores | Not always | Sometimes 21+ |
This split system has created what some are calling a “two-tiered” THC market — one regulated and one… well, not so much.
Lawmakers admit the state’s playing catch-up
Rhode Island’s cannabis rollout has been relatively cautious, especially compared to bigger states like California or Colorado. But these hemp-derived products have flown under the radar, and that’s catching lawmakers off guard.
Sen. Joshua Miller, chair of the Senate Health and Human Services Committee, recently admitted that “the state didn’t anticipate the explosion of THC beverages showing up outside of licensed dispensaries.”
He’s now pushing for more stringent labelling and consistent age enforcement. One concern? Some of these drinks are sold in packaging that looks suspiciously like soft drinks or craft sodas. That’s a potential risk for underage access and accidental consumption.
“This is about public safety as much as it is about regulation,” Miller said.
Bar owners caught in the middle
Not everyone is thrilled with the state’s cautious approach. Some small bar and pub owners say the THC drinks are a hit with customers, especially younger adults who aren’t big drinkers.
“It’s like a cannabis cocktail without the hangover,” one Newport bartender told us, asking not to be named. “People come in specifically asking for these.”
And for businesses struggling with the seasonal summer slowdown or post-COVID recovery, the drinks offer a small but real revenue stream. Pausing the licence pipeline, they argue, limits competition unfairly.
One applicant, who didn’t want to be named while their licence is pending, called the move “a regulatory timeout based on fear, not facts.”
But health officials aren’t budging. They say without standardised testing, there’s no way to verify what’s inside these cans — or how strong they really are.
Looking ahead: regulation, not prohibition
The commission is expected to present findings from its THC beverage review sometime in early 2025. Their focus? Stricter testing, more transparency in labelling, and clear rules about where and how these products can be sold.
There’s also discussion around:
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Creating a “hemp-only” retail licence category with tighter controls.
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Mandating third-party testing for all intoxicating hemp products.
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Implementing a statewide THC drink registry for traceability.
Lawmakers have said they’re open to changes but warn that the longer the state waits, the messier the marketplace could get.
Meanwhile, those ten applicants waiting for their retail hemp licences? They’re watching the calendar — and the debate — closely.
