Meet With a Medical Marijuana Doctor in Rhode Island

About Cannabis in Rhode Island

In recent Rhode Island cannabis news, beginning December 2022, Rhode Island medical marijuana patients no longer have to pay $50 to obtain a medical card, a change that coincided with the start of recreational marijuana sales.

With only a C+ as the overall grade for its statewide medical cannabis program, according to Americans for Safe Access (ASA). Little Rhody could be offering much more to the 17,994 registered patients who depend on the state for medical relief. ASA’s grade is based on patient rights and civil protection, ease of navigation, access to medicine, and functionality. Rhode Island’s medical cannabis program became effective in 2006. Two concerns that should be addressed in 2021 are the high price of medical cannabis and the discrimination against patients who are state employees. 

While Rhode Island is working out its kinks, the C+ could turn into a B if the New England state takes some suggestions. “In 2020, the state expanded its number of licensed retailers, adding six new licenses to improve patient access,” reports ASA, a Washington-based organization. “The state also introduced proposals for state-run cannabis retail facilities in 2020, an effort proposed by a few other states in previous years that were unsuccessful due to the conflict of federal and state cannabis laws.” 

According to the Rhode Island Monthly, the Plantation State’s recreational stance on cannabis sways with political opinion. However, no matter whose point of view, numbers don’t discriminate.

“In the last six years, the number of card-holding medical marijuana patients in Rhode Island has more than tripled from 4,849 in 2013 to 17,891 in 2019,” reports the local news source, adding that in the last three years, dispensaries shattered sales records. In fiscal 2019, they sold $56 million worth of marijuana, a 46.6 percent increase over fiscal 2018, when they did $38.2 million in business — up more than a third from fiscal 2017’s $28.2 million.”

Qualifying Conditions in RI

Adult patients and patients younger than 18 must meet certain requirements for DOH approval. For minors, the patient’s parent or legal guardian must be designated as their caregiver and/or authorized purchaser.

Residents of Rhode Island who have been diagnosed with a qualifying debilitating medical condition have the right to obtain and use medical cannabis if they have received a physician’s written certification form.

• Cachexia, or wasting syndrome
• Cancer or cancer treatment including chemotherapy and radiation therapy
• Glaucoma or glaucoma treatment
• Hepatitis C or treatment for hepatitis C
• HIV/AIDS
• Seizures, including but not limited to those characteristic of epilepsy
• Severe, debilitating, or chronic pain
• Severe nausea
• Severe and persistent muscle spasms, including but not limited to those characteristic of:
  • Multiple sclerosis
  • Crohn’s disease
  • Agitation related to Alzheimer’s disease
  • Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) – patient must be 18 or older

Along with having a qualifying condition, a patient must also be able to prove they are a Rhode Island resident with a current state driver’s license or identification card, or any other state accepted proof of residency. Once approved, a patient must pay a $50 card registration fee, which is reduced for residents who are on  SSI, SSD, Medicaid, or U.S. Military veterans. 

Registering a Caregiver

A Rhode Island caregiver, like a patient, must be a resident of the state and able to prove they are with a current driver’s license, state identification card, or another state-approved document. The caregiver must undergo a criminal background check in order to be approved. Once designated by a patient, and approved, a caregiver can purchase medical cannabis on behalf of those they assist. Rhode Island only allows one caregiver per patient. 

Possession and Cultivation

Rhode Island possession and cultivation laws for both patients and caregivers are the same. Either can possess up to 12 mature plants if they are cultivating cannabis personally, or have up to 2.5 ounces of smokeable flower. Said plants have to be stored in an indoor facility.

Frequently Asked Questions

Places to visit in Rhode Island After Enjoying Your Medicine

Colonial towns along the seashore are quintessential to this New England state, also famous for two major U.S. cities of Providence and Newport. While Providence reflects the past of the colonial period, Newport depicts the wealth of the early 20th century displayed in dozens of mansions. Beyond the cities, Rhode Island touts Narragansett Bay and three state beaches including Roger W. Wheeler, East Matunuck, and Scarsborough. Colt State Park in Bristol also boasts scenic landscapes on the shoreline. And if that is not enough, Block Island and Mohegan Bluffs are two awesome Rhode Island regions filled with lighthouses and coastal cliffs. Next time a trip to the dispensary is due, take a detour along the way to any of Little Rhody’s best places below.

Providence

The Rhode Island capital, and home to Brown University, Providence is where locals and visitors for some solid state history and East Coast education. Host to the Arcade, America’s first shopping mall founded in 1928, Providence also has the 40-acre Roger Williams Park Zoo, where kangaroos, giraffes, and elephants reside along with dozens of other wildlife. The four-acre Waterway Park and Riverwalk, famous for annual basin fires along the waterway, is another popular Providence spot, along with Federal Hill, a large Italian community famous for food and fun.

Newport

The Cliff Walk, Breakers, and Thames Street are three of Newport’s hottest spots for locals and visitors of all ages. If not getting some local fudge or stain blown glass on Thames Street, patrons peruse the many Newport mansions from a backyard view on the Cliff Walk. Speaking of mansions, the most notable of all, the Breakers, which was commissioned in 1893. Considered the “cream of the crop” in summer cottages, the quintessential northern Italian style mansion decked out with gold ceilings and marble, has up to 70 rooms for visitors to explore.

Block Island and Mohegan Bluffs

Whether climbing the Southeast Lighthouse or climbing the 150-foot clay cliffs of the Mohegan Trail, Block Island is where locals and visitors share some of Mother Nature’s most beautiful Atlantic Ocean scenes. Also called “Home of the Killer Donuts,” Block Island also offers a drink along the water at the Oar, notably called the Margaritaville of Rhode Island. If all that island fun was not enough, hang out with some exotic animals to end an adventurous day in the Rhode Island region.