A Cornucopia of Cannabis

Since moving to Rhode Island earlier this year, I have been pleasantly overwhelmed by the cornucopia of cannabis products available at the dispensaries around the Ocean State. As a retiree whose history with cannabis goes back five decades, I recognize the flower, hash, pre-roll, and edible cannabis products available at the Rhode Island dispensaries. The myriad other cannabis products such as shatter, rosin, vapes, oils and tinctures are bewildering, if not intimidating, at least to me. I want to be a life-long learner about these relatively new, high-potency cannabis products, so I will cover such products in future columns.

During the past summer, I came to realize that the variety of legal, recreational cannabis products now available in Rhode Island is a phenomenally positive cultural development. 

According to the Rhode Island Department of Business Regulation Office of Cannabis Regulation, there are seven operating compassion centers (i.e., cannabis dispensaries) in the state. Three of these seven dispensaries were originally outlets for medical cannabis before they expanded into the recreational world of weed. Four more cannabis dispensaries have been added since the sale of recreational weed became legal in Rhode Island about a year ago on December 1, 2022.

To assess the current situation for cannabis consumers, I conducted a small research project based on field visits to some Rhode Island dispensaries to purchase recreational products. I also surveyed the array of cannabis products available on the websites of the seven dispensaries in the state. From each dispensary website I tallied the number of unique THC-cannabis products in the recreational use category. I excluded CBD products from hemp, as well as accessories (pipes, rolling trays, etc) and apparel.

The results from these surveys raised my eyebrows. For example, the seven licensed cannabis dispensaries in Rhode Island offer about 1,400 unique recreational products to consumers. By unique recreational products, I mean the myriad varieties of cannabis flower, concentrates, pre-rolls, edibles and so on that are available at each dispensary in the Ocean State.

The range in the number of recreational cannabis products at each dispensary varied quite a bit, from a low of 128 unique products at one dispensary to a high of 440 unique products at another. The average number of legal recreational-use products across the seven Rhode Island cannabis vendors is about 200 items per dispensary. A cornucopia of cannabis, indeed!

Along with the quantity of cannabis products available, the quality of cannabis products in Rhode Island is also outstanding. For example, each cannabis product offered has metadata on weight and price but also on THC-content, and the concentration of terpenes that give a particular strain of cannabis a unique taste and smell. The THC in cannabis flower for example, ranges from about 10% to more than 25%, depending on the strain (such as sativa, indica, or hybrids of the two). In concentrates such as hash, THC content can be more than 50%. Products with higher-end concentrates such as rosin contain up to 80% THC in some products. There is something for everyone in Rhode Island, from beginners to lifelong cannabis fans.

Cannabis sold in RI must be grown indoors in RI, at least by the commercial producers. This means that commercial cannabis growers can meticulously manage quality control, minimize, or even eliminate exposure to harmful pesticides, as well as grow and process product in a secure environment. Although indoor grows have a much larger carbon footprint than outdoor grows (think about the electricity needed for an indoor grow), the RI environment and climate present a huge challenge to growing cannabis outdoors, even without the security concerns. Thus, indoor grows are likely to be where our RI weed will come from in the foreseeable future. Individuals with a green thumb can legally grow a few plants outdoors for their personal use.

From a cannabis consumer’s perspective, the RI dispensaries provide an enjoyable – and highly flexible – shopping experience. RI cannabis dispensaries are clean, well-lit places. They are usually open more than 12 hours per day. Dispensary staff are knowledgeable, friendly, and welcoming. Security is present and reassuring, but not invasive or intrusive to the shopping experience. Cannabis shoppers can make walk-in purchases using computer kiosks that are easy to navigate, or they can shop at home online and then pick up their order at their leisure. Home delivery is also often available. Compared to the old days when making any kind of cannabis purchase involved “waiting for the man,” these dispensaries are tremendous. 

With just a year into having legalized recreational cannabis sales, RI has made an impressive and well-organized leap into a world that seemed improbable less than a decade ago. 

Several articles in the news media mention serious discussions about licensing up to 33 dispensaries in the state. This would be more than a 325% increase over the seven dispensaries we have today. It will be interesting to see if such a development comes to pass.

Meanwhile, nearly all RI cannabis dispensaries are in the heavily populated eastern parts of the state. Having a few dispensaries in the less populated western part of Rhode Island would be a welcome development. 

Hopefully, in the not-too-distant future, the cornucopia of cannabis we enjoy will be available to recreational users in all states. Legal cannabis across the country will make for a more perfect union. 

Lenny Brennan is a Rhode Island native who recently returned to the Ocean State after a 45-year career as a wildlife research scientist and professor.