MJBizMag September 2022 - 32

INDUSTRY DEVELOPMENTS State by State
Rhode Island
The Providence suburb of Barrington was the first municipality to formally put a question on the
November ballot for its citizens to decide whether to allow adult-use marijuana sales or cultivation.
The Barrington ballot question asks voters if they want to allow recreational cannabis cultivation,
manufacturing, retail and lab-testing businesses.
The recreational cannabis legalization law signed in May allows local governments to prohibit adultuse
cannabis companies at voters' request.
Other cities that will hold a vote on adult-use companies include Hopkinton, Jamestown,
Narragansett, New Shoreham (Block Island), North Kingstown, Richmond, Smithfield, Warren and
Westerly, according to news reports.
South Dakota
The first state-licensed medical marijuana dispensary, Unity Rd., opened July 27 in Hartford, near Sioux
Falls, though most cultivators won't have product ready to sell until this fall.
Unity Rd. worked out a deal with cultivator Dakota Natural Solutions Grow for both companies to
invest in infrastructure and start building before they received their licenses.
To start, Unity Rd. sold only flower and pre-rolls, but the dispensary has plans to offer infused
products.
Another South Dakota dispensary, Native Nations Cannabis, has sold medical marijuana in Flandreau
since July 2021, doing business as a sovereign Native American tribe not subject to the state's rules.
Texas
Agricultural Commissioner Sid Miller favors expanding access for medical cannabis patients in the
state.
In a recent opinion column posted on the state website, Miller compared marijuana laws to the
failed alcohol prohibition laws of the 1920s and said that he would urge Gov. Greg Abbott to make
MMJ a legislative priority in the upcoming session.
Currently, Texas has a very limited list of qualifying conditions for which medical marijuana patients
are permitted to use certain low-THC products.
When Texas legalized hemp cultivation in 2020, Miller was among the first to grow hemp on his
property and predicted Texas would become a leader in hemp production.
Vermont
The state is punting hemp cultivation oversight to the U.S. Department of Agriculture as it sets up
a single agency to oversee all cannabis products in advance of adult-use marijuana sales beginning
this fall.
Agriculture authorities notified farmers that the state's Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets has
withdrawn an oversight plan, which was approved by the USDA in December.
The change means that Vermont's hemp farmers will need to apply directly to the USDA for the
2023 growing season.
Additionally, Vermont is joining neighboring New York in regulating finished cannabis products
through a single agency, the new Cannabis Control Board, regardless of THC content.
The board will oversee testing and dosing guidelines for all cannabis products. Previously, hemp
products such as CBD were regulated by agriculture officials.
Note: Entries sourced from MJBizDaily and other international, national and local news outlets. These developments
occurred before this magazine's publication deadline, so some situations might have changed.
32 September 2022 | MJBizMagazine

MJBizMag September 2022

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of MJBizMag September 2022