Carla Aveledo, policy liaison for the Rhode Island Cannabis Control Commission, speaks before the three-member panel on Oct. 4, 2024. From left to right are Commissioner Robert Jacquard, Chairperson Kimberly Ahern, and Commissioner Layi Oduyingbo. (Christopher Shea/Rhode Island Current)
The Rhode Island Cannabis Control Commission may finally be ready as early as the end of the month to decide how it will define who qualifies as a “social equity applicant” for one of a half dozen cannabis retail licenses.
The agenda for the three-member panel’s meeting Friday afternoon called for a potential vote on the regulations meant to clarify who would qualify as a social equity applicant, generally meant for those who were adversely affected by the war on drugs.
But no vote happened, which led to some whispered grumbling from the nearly dozen cannabis industry workers in the audience.
“It takes time to think about this,” said Chairperson Kimberly Ahern.
The commission must narrow down the definition of what constitutes a community that has been disproportionately impacted by the federal government’s crackdown on illegal drug use dating back to 1971 when President Richard Nixon declared drug abuse as “public enemy number one.” In the early 1980s, the Reagan administration expanded the reach of the drug war and criminal punishment, leading to an increase in incarcerations for nonviolent drug offenses.