PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — Rhode Island officials warn many medical marijuana cultivators will fail under the state’s current setup.
The Providence Journal reports 18 businesses have been approved to sell cannabis to the state’s three dispensaries. Another 93 applicants are currently in the process of acquiring a license.
Democratic Rep. Scott Slater expressed his concerns about the large number of cultivators during the state’s medical marijuana oversight commission meeting Tuesday. He says without a recreational market some cultivators are doomed to fail.
The newspaper reports the state did not limit the number of cultivators because it believed doing so could have led to a medical cannabis shortage.
Cultivators have produced more than 8,430 pounds of marijuana this year, which adds up to about $27 million in sales.
