Title 2Agriculture and Forestry

Title 2Agriculture and Forestry

Chapter 26Hemp Growth Act

R.I. Gen. Laws § 2-26-3

§ 2-26-3. Definitions.

When used in this chapter, the following terms shall have the following meanings:

(1) “Applicant” means any person, firm, corporation, or other legal entity who or that, on his, her, or its own behalf, or on behalf of another, has applied for permission to engage in any act or activity that is regulated under the provisions of this chapter.

(2) “Cannabidiol” or “CBD” means cannabidiol (CBD) derived from a hemp plant as defined in § 2-26-3, not including products derived from exempt cannabis plant material as defined in 21 C.F.R. § 1308.35.

(3) “Cannabis” means all parts of the plant of the genus marijuana, also known as marijuana sativa L. whether growing or not; the seeds thereof; the resin extracted from any part of the plant; and every compound, manufacture, salt, derivative, mixture, or preparation of the plant, its seeds, or resin regardless of cannabinoid content or cannabinoid potency including “marijuana” and “industrial hemp” or “industrial hemp products” which satisfy the requirements of this chapter.

(4) “Cannabis control commission” or “commission” means the Rhode Island cannabis control commission established by § 21-28.11-4.

(5) “Cannabis office” or “office” means the cannabis office established by § 21-28.11-18.1.

(6) “Division” means the division of agriculture in the department of environmental management.

(7) “Grower” means a person or entity who or that produces hemp for commercial purposes.

(8) “Handler” means a person or entity who or that produces or processes hemp or agricultural hemp seed into commodities or who manufactures hemp products.

(9) “Hemp” or “industrial hemp” means the plant Cannabis sativa L. and any part of that plant, including the seeds thereof and all derivatives, extracts, cannabinoids, isomers, acids, salts, and salts of isomers, whether growing or not, with a delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol concentration of not more than three-tenths percent (0.3%) on a dry weight or per volume basis regardless of moisture content, and which satisfies the requirements of this chapter.

(10) “Hemp-derived consumable CBD product” means any product meant for ingestion, including, but not limited to, concentrates, extracts, and cannabis-infused foods and products, which contains cannabidiol derived from a hemp plant as defined in this section, which shall only be sold to persons age twenty-one (21) or older, and which shall not include products derived from exempt cannabis plant material as defined in 21 C.F.R. § 1308.35.

(11) “Hemp products” or “industrial hemp products” means all products made from the plants, including, but not limited to, concentrated oil, cloth, cordage, fiber, food, fuel, hemp-derived consumable CBD products, paint, paper, construction materials, plastics, seed, seed meal, seed oil, and seed certified for cultivation, which satisfy the requirements of this chapter.

(12) “Licensed CBD distributor” means a person licensed to distribute hemp-derived consumable CBD products pursuant to this chapter.

(13) “Licensed CBD retailer” means a person licensed to sell hemp-derived consumable CBD products pursuant to this chapter.

(14) “THC” means tetrahydrocannabinol, the principal psychoactive constituent of cannabis.

(15) “THCA” means tetrahydrocannabinol acid.

History of Section.P.L. 2016, ch. 441, § 1; P.L. 2016, ch. 442, § 1; P.L. 2019, ch. 88, art. 15, § 1; P.L. 2025, ch. 278, art. 3, § 1, effective June 29, 2025.