Medical marijuana regulators propose lottery system for Rhode Island's licenses

PROVIDENCE, R.I., (AP) — Rhode Island’s medical marijuana regulators have unveiled how they plan to issue licenses for six new dispensaries in the state and new rules that would not allow the new operations to grow their own cannabis at first.

The regulations released Thursday say the new licenses will be awarded through a random lottery.

The proposed regulations also would not allow the new dispensaries to grow until they are open and a market study is completed.

Josh Block, a spokesman for Gov. Gina Raimondo, said the governor was pleased that the DBR is moving forward with transparency.

This is a new and growing industry, and the Governor is pleased DBR is moving forward with transparent regulations that ensure a level playing field through an open lottery system. While we’re disappointed in the General Assembly’s unwillingness to resolve the issue immediately, we continue to encourage them to drop their opposition to the suit so we can move forward with the important public process for these proposed regulations," Block said.

The state budget approved in June provides for the opening of six new dispensaries in different parts of the state. The state’s three existing dispensaries are in Providence, Warwick and Portsmouth.

President of the Senate Dominick J. Ruggerio said, “The Senate’s attorneys will be reviewing the regulations in the coming days.”

The state Department of Business Regulation will take public comment on the proposed rules until Dec. 21 and expects to finalize the rules early next year.

"It appears that the regulations may not be consistent with the intent of the law passed by the General Assembly and signed by the Governor. The House will be reviewing the hundreds of pages of regulations and will be following the public hearing process on this issue," House Speaker Nicholas Mattiello said.

NBC 10 contributed to this report.