2023 -- S 0643 ======== LC000341 ======== S TATE OF RHODE IS LAND IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2023 ____________ A N A C T RELATING TO FOOD AND DRUGS -- THE EDWARD O. HAWKINS AND THOMA S C. SLATER MEDICAL MARIJUANA ACT Introduced By: Senator Leonidas P. Raptakis Date Introduced: March 07, 2023 Referred To: Senate Judiciary It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows: SECTION 1. Chapter 21-28.6 of the General Laws entitled "The Edward O. Hawkins and 1 Thomas C. Slater Medical Marijuana Act" is hereby amended by adding thereto the following 2 section: 3 21-28.6-20. Criminal background check required. 4 (a) Notwithstanding any provisions of §§ 21-28.6-9, 21-28.6-12, 21-28.6-14 or 21-28.6-5 16, any person who is owner, officer, director, manager, employee, or who has a business interest 6 including those third-party management companies and their owners, directors, managers or 7 employees of a compassion center, licensed medical marijuana cultivator, marijuana establishment 8 licensee, medical marijuana emporium, or any compassion center cardholder, practitioner, primary 9 caregiver, qualifying patient or holder of a registry identification card, as those terms are defined 10 in § 21-28.6-3, shall be required, as part of their application or renewal of any application, to submit 11 to a national criminal identification records check that shall include submitting fingerprints to the 12 federal bureau of identification. 13 (b) Upon the discovery of any plea of guilty or nolo contendere or a felony conviction to 14 any felony offense for any person who is the owner, director, manager, employee of any 15 compassion center, licensed medical cultivator, medical marijuana establishment licensee, medical 16 marijuana emporium, or any compassion center cardholder, practitioner, primary caregiver, 17 qualifying patient or holder of a registry identification card, the application shall be denied. 18 LC000341 - Page 2 of 3 SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage. 1 ======== LC000341 ======== LC000341 - Page 3 of 3 EXPLANATION BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL OF A N A C T RELATING TO FOOD AND DRUGS -- THE EDWARD O. HAWKIN S AND THOMAS C. SLATER MEDICAL MARIJUANA ACT *** This act would require any person who is owner, officer, director, manager, employee, or 1 who has a business interest including those third-party management companies and their owners, 2 directors, managers or employees of a compassion center, licensed medical marijuana cultivator, 3 marijuana establishment licensee, medical marijuana emporium, or any compassion center 4 cardholder, practitioner, primary caregiver, qualifying patient or holder of a registry identification 5 card to submit to a national criminal identification records check as part of their application. Any 6 person who has pled guilty, nolo contendere, or who has been convicted of any felony offense shall 7 have their application denied. 8 This act would take effect upon passage. 9 ======== LC000341 ========