{"id":86065,"date":"2026-05-27T08:27:01","date_gmt":"2026-05-27T16:27:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/2026\/05\/27\/rhode-island-governor-picks-new-chair-for-cannabis-control-commission\/"},"modified":"2026-05-27T19:45:48","modified_gmt":"2026-05-28T03:45:48","slug":"rhode-island-governor-picks-new-chair-for-cannabis-control-commission","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/2026\/05\/27\/rhode-island-governor-picks-new-chair-for-cannabis-control-commission\/","title":{"rendered":"Rhode Island Governor Picks New Chair For Cannabis Control Commission"},"content":{"rendered":"<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m proud to continue contributing to the growth and success of Rhode Island and its cannabis industry.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

By Christopher Shea, Rhode Island Currant<\/strong><\/p>\n

Gov. Dan McKee (D) has nominated the state\u2019s top cannabis administrator to chair the panel that oversees Rhode Island\u2019s cannabis industry, which has now been without a leader for over seven months.<\/p>\n

McKee on Tuesday nominated Michelle Reddish to the Cannabis Control Commission seat left vacant last October after then-Chairperson Kim Ahern\u00a0resigned\u00a0to\u00a0pursue a run for state attorney general<\/a>. Reddish has served as administrator of the Rhode Island Cannabis Office<\/a> since her\u00a0appointment\u00a0by the governor in 2024.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn just two years, Michelle has demonstrated a deep understanding of Rhode Island\u2019s cannabis landscape and how we can continue to effectively and safely regulate it,\u201d McKee said in a statement. \u201cI\u2019m confident her time leading the state\u2019s Cannabis Office\u2014combined with her significant expertise in regulatory compliance, development, and technological advancement\u2014will serve her well in this new role.\u201d<\/p>\n

Reddish\u2019s nomination for the\u00a0$204,069-a-year post\u00a0now heads to the Rhode Island Senate for consideration. She thanked the governor for her appointment.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m proud to continue contributing to the growth and success of Rhode Island and its cannabis industry,\u201d Reddish said in a statement.<\/p>\n

McKee\u2019s office credited Reddish with helping build Rhode Island\u2019s cannabis regulatory framework, including developing rules surrounding retail pot and establishing the Cannabis Office as the operational arm of the Cannabis Control Commission.<\/p>\n

The announcement from the governor\u2019s office also highlighted Reddish\u2019s administration of the initial application process for cannabis retail licenses. Applications are now in limbo after a federal judge in April ordered the process halted amid three lawsuits challenging Rhode Island\u2019s requirement that cannabis license holders<\/a> be majority-owned by state residents.<\/p>\n

The state has since\u00a0appealed\u00a0the ruling<\/a>, though the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Boston has not yet taken up the case. A hearing to establish a briefing schedule is set for June 23.<\/p>\n

Before the halt, regulators were in the midst of reviewing 97 applications vying for one of 20 new retail licenses as soon as this month.<\/p>\n

Still, Reddish said she\u2019s ready for the work ahead if confirmed by the Senate.<\/p>\n

\u201cI remain committed to supporting safety, transparency, and equity, and I\u2019m sincerely thankful for the trust placed in me,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Before coming to Rhode Island, Reddish was the chief operating officer for the Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority\u2014a position she took on after serving more than a year as its chief regulatory officer.<\/p>\n

From April 2021 to March 2022, Reddish was the director of compliance for C3 industries\u2014a Michigan-based cannabis grower and retailer with facilities in Massachusetts and Missouri. She was also a regulatory compliance officer for Orlando-based Ravago Chemicals and SLB, a Houston-based global technology company.<\/p>\n

Reddish holds two master\u2019s degrees from Tulane University\u2014one in occupational health and safety and the other in cell and molecular biology. Reddish has a third master\u2019s degree from the University of New Orleans in health care management.<\/p>\n

This story was first published by Rhode Island Currant.<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

The post Rhode Island Governor Picks New Chair For Cannabis Control Commission<\/a> appeared first on Marijuana Moment<\/a>.<\/p>\n


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\nRead More: Rhode Island Governor Picks New Chair For Cannabis Control Commission<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cI\u2019m proud to continue contributing to the growth and success of Rhode Island and its cannabis industry.\u201d By Christopher Shea, Rhode Island Currant Gov. Dan McKee (D) has nominated the state\u2019s top cannabis administrator to chair the panel that oversees Rhode Island\u2019s cannabis industry, which has now been without aContinue Reading<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":457,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"false","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[81],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/86065"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/457"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=86065"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/86065\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":86066,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/86065\/revisions\/86066"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=86065"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=86065"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=86065"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}