(WJAR) — Kim Ahern, a prosecutor who worked on policy for Govs. Gina Raimondo and Dan McKee, is now the leader of Rhode Island’s first Cannabis Control Commission.
“I’m cognizant that the industry has been waiting for us. So my goal is to work hard and to get going as quickly as logistically possible,” Ahern told NBC 10 News.
Ahern and McKee’s two other nominees for the CCC, Layi Oduyingbo and Robert Jacquard, were confirmed by the Senate last week.
NBC 10 I-Team’s Brian Crandall sits down with the new leader of the Rhode Island Cannabis Control Commission to discuss what’s ahead.
McKee named his nominees in May, nearly a year after he signed the law legalizing adult recreational use marijuana. That law called for him to name appointees within 40 days.
The Cannabis Control Commission will have oversight of the marijuana industry in the state, taking over that role from the state Department of Business Regulation.
They still have to set up an office and work on regulations.
Ahern hopes to hold commission meetings weekly.
A top priority for Ahern in that process is to hear directly from those in the business.
“I think that we have to be business friendly because when these businesses succeed, Rhode Island succeeds. So, yes, are we regulators? Yeah, of course. But we also have to keep in mind just the overall industry, and that this is new and that we need to also be responsible for its growth,” she told NBC 10 News.
One of the commission’s major functions to start is issuing licenses for new dispensaries.
“My hope is that licenses start issuing at some point in 2024. But I will say other states have taken several years to do this. So I do think we’re already showing in Rhode Island that we’re ahead of the curve with the way that we did this,” Ahern said.
The state has already authorized up to nine retail dispensaries, which also provide medical marijuana.
The recreational legalization law approved last year lets the Cannabis Control Commission green-light up to 24 more retail-only shops.
“My personal goal is to go into this in a thoughtful and deliberative way and look at other states and see what they’ve done well, what they haven’t done well,” Ahern says. “We’re limited by up to 24, so it’s just a concern that we have to keep in mind when we really start delving into this in our future meetings.”
Asked by NBC 10 News if 24 more dispensaries could oversaturate the market, Ahern said: “I think we don’t know yet. But part of what has to happen, is in part, let the market dictate that. A natural supply and demand needs to happen here.”
H/T: turnto10.com
