The tiniest state in America loves to smoke marijuana.
I can’t say that I know this personally, but according to a study, Rhode Island has the highest percentage of reported weed smokers.
That is an impressive honor, especially since they have not legalized marijuana.
Yet, that doesn’t stop 1 in every 8 Rhode Island resident from enjoying some good herb.
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Rhode Island marijuana laws
Rhode Island has decriminalized marijuana, and it also has an active medical marijuana program.
Its medical marijuana program went into effect in 2006 and continues to thrive today.
Patients with Alzheimer’s Disease, cachexia, cancer, chronic pain, Crohn’s disease, glaucoma, hepatitis C, HIV/AIDS, nausea, PTSD, seizures, or severe and persistent muscle spasms can register to use marijuana for treatment.
If your condition does not qualify, it may be one of the “other conditions subject to approval”.
Patients can buy marijuana at one of three dispensaries.
In addition to an active medical marijuana program, Rhode Island has a specific guideline on marijuana for personal use.
Possession of less than 1 ounce is a civil offense – not a misdemeanor – that if caught, is only a $150 fine.
Download my free marijuana grow guide and start growing high quality strains in Rhode Island.
Growing weed in Rhode Island
Although you will not go to jail for the personal use of marijuana in Rhode Island, growing marijuana in Rhode Island for recreational use is still very illegal.
The laws associate recreational growing with selling and have pretty stiff consequences (even for America).
So, you need to be registered either as a patient or caregiver if you plan to grow weed.
Patients who’d like to begin growing marijuana in this state should pick up an application at the Rhode Island Department of Health.
Rhode Island Cannabis Seeds
- Easy to grow
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- Grow guide available
Caregivers will also use the same form.
Caregivers should be at least 21 years old and are allowed to have up to 5 patients.
Although they don’t allow growing for recreational use, they are more than generous when it comes to growing for medical use. Patients and caregivers can grow up to 12 plants.
They only require that they are grown indoors – probably to prevent all of those jealous recreational smokers.
Dealing marijuana in Rhode Island
Rhode Island lets its patients grow marijuana, and it has the highest amount of reported marijuana users, but it is not permissive to marijuana selling.
Otherwise, the easy-going state has mandatory minimums for those selling or thinking about selling weed.
It starts at ten years in jail and goes up to life.
They also think growers that aren’t growing for patients intend to sell to recreational users.
If you want to stay out of trouble, leave the selling to the state, get registered as a caregiver or patient, and grow enough weed for yourself and your patients.
If you need some help getting started growing marijuana in Rhode Island, check out the Marijuana Grow Bible.
All you need to do is download it (it is free), read it and buy your seeds.
In it, you’ll learn how to grow the best Rhode Island dozen the state will allow.
Recreational marijuana is now legal in Rhode Island . I would love for this article to be updated!
Nice article.
I would have liked the opportunity to to have opened a compassion center, but the price of the license is out of reach, hopefully when I retire
You need to change this! Incorrect, people may get wrong idea. Norml states you can grow for personal use.
possession of medical marijuana with a card–is it a substantial breach of a material term of a resident lease
thank you for the informative article 🙂 I was wondering if you happen to know if a person can go from a patient to a caregiver at any point in time, or if once you registered as a patient with the state are you then unable to register as a caregiver a later date? Let’s say, if you were once a register mediacal patient in RI and then decided not to renew your patient status and the next year(or few years) you wanted to register as a caregiver, do you think the fact that you were a once a patient would affect chances of becoming caregiver?
Thanks again
-catherine