Rhode Island Marijuana Regulators Seeking Applications For New Dispensary In State’s Northern Region

“The office is actively conducting outreach and establishing communication with previously qualified applicants.”

By Christopher Shea, Rhode Island Currant

The state’s Cannabis Control Commission is looking to license a new compassion center in northern Rhode Island after plans for one in Woonsocket were scrapped.

The three-member commission has reopened applications for candidates who qualified to open the medical marijuana dispensaries in the original 2021 license application process, with submissions due September 18. The license is reserved for a business that opens in Zone 1, which includes Burrillville, Cumberland, Glocester, North Smithfield and Woonsocket. Smithfield is excluded, as voters in 2022 narrowly rejected allowing retail cannabis shops in town.

R.M.I. Compassion Center Inc. won the Zone 1 license in the fall 2021 lottery, with plans to open at Walnut Hill Plaza in Woonsocket by last summer, according to its website. R.M.I quickly faced pushback from local zoning officials, resulting in a court battle that R.M.I ultimately won.

But the center never opened and R.M.I. withdrew its application in January after failing to meet the state’s licensing requirements in September 2024, according to a consent order from the Rhode Island Department of Business Regulation.

Paul Isikwe, who is listed on state documents as the president of the business, did not immediately respond to request for comment.

Four other applicants qualified for the 2021 lottery: Livity Compassion Center, Medici Compassionate Care Center Inc., New Leaf Compassion Center Inc. and Pinnacle Compassion Center Inc. To receive the license now, they must meet new regulatory requirements, including proof of zoning approval, operational readiness and adherence to safety standards.

None of the four had reapplied as of Tuesday, Charon Rose, a commission spokesperson said in an email, and a Medici director told Rhode Island Current it would not try again.

“It takes a lot of work—we’d have to get property again and redo everything,” said Christopher Roy. “And the other problem is the fees—it just makes it impossible to do business.”

“The office is actively conducting outreach and establishing communication with previously qualified applicants to support their understanding of the process and timeline,” Rose said. “We remain available to answer any questions and are committed to ensuring a smooth and transparent process as we move forward.”

Prospective dispensary owners must pay a $10,000 application fee, but Rose said previously qualified applicants would not have to pay again. Once approved, compassion centers must pay an annual licensing fee of $500,000. If an applicant wants to sell recreational cannabis under a hybrid license, allowed as of 2022, that requires an additional $30,000.

But Thomas Mirza, president of New Leaf Compassion Center, said he still intends to reapply for the northern Rhode Island license. Mirza’s plan is to also sell recreationally under a hybrid license.

“You have to, otherwise economics don’t work,” he said in an interview Tuesday.

A Zone 1 compassion center would bring the state’s total to eight. The first quarter of 2025 saw nearly $2.9 million in revenue go into the state’s coffers.

Regulators are still working on opening applications for the 24 new retail licenses allowed under the 2022 law that legalized recreational sales.

This story was first published by Rhode Island Currant.

Federal Health Officials ‘Rejected’ DEA’s Request To Testify At Marijuana Rescheduling Hearing, Agency Tells Judge