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The Rhode Island Cannabis Control Commission (CCC) is down to two commissioners after Chairperson Kimberly Ahern, Esq., announced Oct. 21 that she’s bowing out.
Gov. Dan McKee nominated Ahern for the position shortly after adult-use sales launched in December 2022 via seven existing medical dispensaries that have had a massive head start on market newcomers: The state has yet to award 24 new adult-use retail licenses established under 2022 legislation, the Rhode Island Cannabis Act, which McKee signed into law.
The Rhode Island Senate confirmed Ahern as the inaugural CCC chair in June 2023 to oversee the state’s licensed and regulated cannabis industry. She previously served as McKee’s deputy chief of staff.
“When nominated for this position, I shared a goal for the new commission: to regulate Rhode Island’s adult-use and medical cannabis markets in a manner that is safe, transparent and equitable,” Ahern wrote Tuesday in a resignation letter to McKee. “That commitment has guided every decision during my tenure. Serving the state in this capacity has been a privilege, and I am proud of what we have accomplished in such a short time.”
Ahern’s decision to step down from her CCC post comes ahead of a likely run for attorney general in Rhode Island’s 2026 race, the Rhode Island Current reported.
McKee announced Oct. 21 that Ahern’s last day with the commission was that same day, thanking her for establishing the state’s adult-use regulations, launching a social equity application certification process, and opening the current adult-use dispensary license application period that runs through 4 p.m. on Dec. 29.
“She helped stand up the commission from the ground up and ensured that Rhode Island’s cannabis industry was launched with public health, safety and fairness as priorities,” the governor said. “I’ve had the privilege of working closely with Kim since her time in my office, and I’ve seen firsthand her professionalism and commitment to public service. We wish her the very best.”
Ahern’s resignation came one day after the three-member CCC set a timeline to award the 24 adult-use dispensary licenses to new market entrants.
Beginning on Jan. 1, adult-use retail applicants will have 60 days (until March 2) to demonstrate they have final zoning approval from their local municipalities, or they will be disqualified from a lottery process.
The CCC, which now includes just commissioners Layi Oduyingbo and Robert Jacquard, will have until the end of March to review the applications to determine whether they qualify – working with municipalities on zoning requirements – before conducting a “hybrid random selection process” that’s tentatively scheduled for May 2026.
“We reserve the right to delay this process depending on several external factors outside of our control,” Ahern said at the CCC’s regular meeting on Oct. 20. “If we receive thousands of applications, it will be hard for us to do that.”
Since Rhode Island’s existing medical dispensaries transitioned to adult-use operations in December 2022, they’ve sold more than $323 million in cannabis, including $246.6 million in adult-use transactions, according to the Rhode Island Department of Business Regulation (DBR). The state’s seven medical cannabis compassion centers had to pay a $125,000 fee to the DBR to transition to adult-use sales as hybrid retailers.
While $323 million in cannabis sales over the course of nearly three years may seem like a small number compared to other adult-use states, Rhode Island’s hybrid dispensaries have averaged roughly $17 million in sales per month per store in 2024 and 2025: the highest in the nation. The average dispensaries in neighboring Massachusetts and Connecticut, for example, sold $4.8 million and $5.7 million per month per store in 2024, according to Cannabis Business Times data.
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The 24 new adult-use dispensary licenses will be awarded equally across six regulatory zones in Rhode Island, with each zone having one license reserved for a social equity application, one for a workers’ cooperative applicant, and two for open applicants.
Ahern reported during Monday’s CCC meeting that there are currently 94 entities interested in the state’s six available social equity licenses.
However, as of the meeting, the CCC had yet to receive an application for one of the 24 available licenses.
“As we even saw here this morning, there potentially might not need to be a need for a hybrid random selection process if there’s not more than one qualified applicant, to be determined based on the interest that comes at the end of this year,” Ahern said.
