Rhode Island’s Cannabis Control Commission is pushing for a THC drinks ban at bars and restaurants across the state. The commission submitted its final report to the General Assembly on 1 March 2026, formally recommending that lawmakers write the restriction into law for venues holding a liquor licence.

The hospitality industry is pushing back hard. Regulators, however, are not moving.

How Rhode Island’s THC Drinks Ban Began

Hemp-derived THC drinks entered Rhode Island’s market through a regulatory gap. After Congress passed the federal 2018 Farm Bill and legalised hemp nationally, these beverages hit shelves before state rules could catch up.

Between August 2024 and July 2025, more than 100 licensed retailers obtained permits from the state’s then-Office of Cannabis Regulation to sell intoxicating THC drinks. The market grew faster than anyone had anticipated. The Cannabis Control Commission then halted all new licences for venues that serve alcohol on-site, pointing to public health and safety. Its March 2026 report now asks the General Assembly to make that THC drinks ban permanent.

Regulators Back the THC Drinks Ban

Carla Aveledo, the commission’s chief of policy, was direct. No single industry is the target, she said.

“All retailers selling intoxicating hemp products should be held to similar high safety standards as cannabis retailers.”

The commission’s concern is straightforward. Alcohol and THC together produce effects that are unpredictable and hard to manage. A bar setting makes this especially difficult. Staff can spot signs of alcohol intoxication. They cannot reliably assess the combined impact of cannabis and alcohol, even with training. That gap in visibility is exactly what drives the case for hemp-infused beverage restrictions.

Industry Fights Hemp-Infused Beverage Restrictions

The Rhode Island Hospitality Association leads the opposition. President and chief executive Farouk Rajab calls the proposed THC drinks ban an overreach. He argues the industry has already acted responsibly.

The association built its own training course for hospitality workers. It covers how cannabis affects the brain, how long THC takes to act, and how staff can spot signs of overconsumption. The course tells workers clearly: never serve THC drinks with alcohol.

“Mixing THC-infused beverages with alcohol can lead to unpredictable and unsafe situations,” the training reads. “As a server, it is your responsibility to discourage customers from consuming THC beverages alongside alcoholic drinks.”

Rajab pointed to Minnesota, where bars have sold hemp drinks since 2023. He says the hemp-infused beverage restrictions there have not caused the problems critics predicted. But even Minnesota’s regulators are not so sure.

The Minnesota Model and Federal Uncertainty

Minnesota requires bars to obtain an on-site consumption endorsement before they can serve hemp products. The commission’s report highlights that approach as a potential framework. Yet the state’s own officials are sounding a cautious note.

Jim Walker, a spokesperson for the Minnesota Office of Cannabis Management, told Rhode Island Current that federal potency restrictions are due to take effect in November 2026. That prospect rattled the industry nationwide.

“That kind of threw the entire industry nationwide through a loop,” Walker said. “If we do get to November and there’s no safety net involved, we as an office would help to offramp a lot of these businesses.”

Congress is weighing a two-year delay to those restrictions. Nothing is settled yet.

What Happens Next in Rhode Island

Rhode Island caps THC servings at 1 milligram per drink and 5 milligrams per package. Those numbers sound small. Research tells a different story. A 2019 study published in Clinical Chemistry found that combining alcohol with THC raised blood THC levels significantly higher than THC alone, amplifying impairment in ways that users often do not expect.

Aveledo said the commission continues to track federal developments and acknowledged they could shift the timeline.

“The Commission intends to draft updates to the hemp regulations in 2026,” she said. “However, recent federal activity and future actions remain uncertain, which may delay the regulatory drafting to early 2027.”

The THC drinks ban recommendation now rests with the General Assembly. Its decision will likely shape how other states approach hemp-infused beverage restrictions in the months ahead.

Source: rhodeislandcurrent