Rhode Island
Rhode Island House Panel Weighs Bill That Would Temporarily Legalize Psilocybin
Lawmakers on Rhode Island’s House Judiciary Committee considered a bill on Thursday that would effectively legalize psilocybin mushrooms in the state, temporarily removing penalties around possession, home cultivation and sharing of psilocybin until mid-2026.
The proposal, H. 7047, from Rep. Brandon Potter (D), would not establish a commercial retail system around the psychedelic—at least until after federal reform is enacted. Until then, it would exempt up to an ounce of psilocybin from the state’s law against controlled substances provided that it “has been securely cultivated within a person’s residence for personal use” or is possessed by “one person or shared by one person to another.”
The measure is identical to a bill passed 56–11 by the House last year, though that matter did not move forward in the Senate before the end of the session.
“I don’t think it was that long ago that if you were to put a proposal like this forward, it would be thought of as very controversial,” Potter told the panel on Thursday. “But I think it’s become much more popularized and people are well aware of it, especially when you see just like the abundance and overwhelming amount of clinical research and medical science that is promoting the effects this has had on people.”
“These are not, you know, small, low-budget operations,” he added of emerging scientific research indicating the therapeutic potential of psilocybin. “These are leading medical institutions like Johns Hopkins and Yale and Stanford and so on and so forth—NYU, Columbia.”
Judiciary Committee members did not take formal action on the bill at Thursday’s hearing, instead receiving public testimony and asking several questions of Potter.
Rep. David J. Place (R) asked Potter why under the bill Rhode Island would wait for the Food and Drug Administration to take action on psilocybin before setting up state-level rules and regulations.
“Quite frankly, if it were up to me, we wouldn’t,” replied Potter. “But after a lengthy dialogue with the Department of Health, it was made clear to me that without looking for federal permission at some point, there wouldn’t be support for an eventual enactment of a controlled medical process of how this would be legally prescribed.”
“If I had carte blanche, and I was reading this bill exactly how I would like, it would be a matter of pure decriminalization,” the sponsor added. “But it was a matter of trying to balance the interest of the Department of Health with what ultimately is a drug decriminalization bill.”
Place asked Potter whether similar provisions were included around medical marijuana when state lawmakers adopted that reform. They were not.
One lawmaker, Rep. Thomas E. Noret (D), said he voted against last year’s bill and is planning to oppose the current bill, too.
“Drug-facilitated sexual assaults are on the increase, noted by the National Drug Intelligence Center,” he said, also pointing to a Brown University study “that says sexual assault and dating violence—90 percent of all campus rapes occur when alcohol is used—and/or drugs—by a victim or the assailant. So those are my objections to increasing that, and psilocybin is one of those listed on the report for the National Drug Center.”
It’s not entirely clear what national data Noret was referring to. The National Drug Intelligence Center was established as part of the Department of Justice in 1993, but it was dissolved more than a decade ago, in 2012.
Potter explained that his decriminalization-first approach is aimed at allowing people access to psilocybin without creating an environment that makes psychedelic-assisted treatment prohibitively expensive.
“Colorado and Oregon have already legalized this,” he said, “and one of the the really disheartening things that I’ve heard, especially out of Oregon, is…you have people who are paying between $5,000 and $10,000 for this treatment.”
“It becomes another doubling down of only people who are of a certain affluent level of income or privilege in that way actually have access to it,” he said. “I just personally didn’t want to double down on creating another framework for what is natural medicine to be withheld from people.”
The bill’s cosponsors include House Judiciary Committee Chairman Rep. Robert Craven (D) and eight other lawmakers aside from Potter.
When the House passed last year’s measure, Potter called it “a positive step toward addressing mental healthcare with modern, evidence-based policy and research.”
As for this year’s bill, the lawmaker told Marijuana Moment earlier this month that he’s hopeful the measure will make it to the Senate again and receive a hearing there.
After last year’s House vote, he said, “I had a lot of people reach out to me expressing great appreciation for passing the bill and sharing their personal stories with me about their use of psilocybin and how helpful it was for them.”
“I’m hopeful that with a Senate committee hearing this year, they’ll hear some of those voices,” he added, “and understand that there’s a number of people in Rhode Island that have already benefitted from this as a treatment, and in doing so they’ve broken the law.”
Also this week, the City Council in Providence gave formal approval to a plan to open the nation’s first state-regulated safe consumption site, where people can use drugs in a supervised environment and be connected with a suite of social support and recovery services.
Meanwhile, the state’s marijuana system marked its first full year of legal sales last month, with Gov. Dan McKee (D) saying the state is “proud of the careful execution that defined our entry into this industry.” Retailers sold more than $100 million worth of cannabis products during the first year of operation.
Industry advocates have listed four main changes they’d like to see to the state’s cannabis law in the year ahead, narrowing qualifications around social equity, expanding the social equity fund with tax revenue, waiving certain fees and offering provisional business licenses.
Regulators, meanwhile, have been seeking state and federal data to better define social equity eligibility.
DOJ Seeks White House Approval For Updated Marijuana Pardon Certificate Form Under Biden’s Expanded Proclamation
Photo courtesy of Wikimedia/Mushroom Observer.
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Republican candidate for lieutenant governor John Loughlin wants the office to become the Rhode Island inspector general his party has been seeking in vain for years.
Loughlin, a former state representative, said on May 11 that, if elected, he would staff the underutilized office with people who would help him expose “fraud, waste, abuse, and government corruption.”
“Rhode Islanders are sick and tired of watching their tax dollars disappear into a black hole of inefficiency, cronyism, and outright corruption while the General Assembly talks a big game but delivers nothing − year after year after year,” Loughlin said in a news release. “For more than two decades, the legislature has failed to create a true Inspector General with real investigative power. Enough is enough. If they won’t do it, the Lieutenant Governor’s Office will − starting on day one.”
Why turn the lieutenant governor into an inspector general?
The Rhode Island Constitution gives the lieutenant governor little to no authority beyond being available in case the governor is unable to finish their term. That’s prompted some to call it a “do nothing” office and others to propose abolishing it.
“Frankly, the current workload of the office leaves ample time and resources to do far more for taxpayers than ceremonial appearances and ribbon-cuttings,” Loughlin said in his news release. “Rhode Islanders deserve a Lieutenant Governor’s Office that works every day to protect their money and hold government accountable.”
The lieutenant governor’s office has a budget of $1.4 million, which Loughlin said is enough to staff and run an effective investigative team made up of “certified auditors, investigators, and compliance professionals” to review state agency spending and contracts.
He acknowledged that the lieutenant governor does not have subpoena power, but believes that investigations can be completed utilizing public records requests and gathering publicly-available data.
Loughlin, who ended his talk radio show earlier this year when he announced his campaign for governor, said he would communicate his findings through “RI Report” publications, news briefings and podcasts.
He said he would also make the office’s resources available to city and town leaders.
Republicans have been fighting for an inspector general
Rhode Island Republicans have for years promised to lower state spending by rooting out government waste, fraud and abuse. The last GOP Rhode Island governor, Donald Carcieri, launched a “Fiscal Fitness” program that aimed to save money and find efficiencies.
Democrats criticized Carcieri’s tenure for featuring exorbitant privatization and outsourcing.
Since Carcieri, the idea of creating an independent inspector general similar to those in other states has become a holy grail for Rhode Island Republicans, but the Democratic General Assembly has had little interest in it.
“If our office saves just 1% from Rhode Island’s bloated state budget, the savings would return more than ten times the entire cost of the Lieutenant Governor’s Office to taxpayers – and that’s only the beginning,” Loughlin said in the news release.
The Rhode Island Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big.
Here’s a look at May 10, 2026, results for each game:
Winning Numbers numbers from May 10 drawing
Midday: 9-9-9-0
Evening: 5-5-0-9
Check Numbers payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Wild Money numbers from May 10 drawing
01-13-14-16-32, Extra: 02
Check Wild Money payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Millionaire for Life numbers from May 10 drawing
01-03-20-35-46, Bonus: 05
Check Millionaire for Life payouts and previous drawings here.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your prize
- Prizes less than $600 can be claimed at any Rhode Island Lottery Retailer. Prizes of $600 and above must be claimed at Lottery Headquarters, 1425 Pontiac Ave., Cranston, Rhode Island 02920.
- Mega Millions and Powerball jackpot winners can decide on cash or annuity payment within 60 days after becoming entitled to the prize. The annuitized prize shall be paid in 30 graduated annual installments.
- Winners of the Millionaire for Life top prize of $1,000,000 a year for life and second prize of $100,000 a year for life can decide to collect the prize for a minimum of 20 years or take a lump sum cash payment.
When are the Rhode Island Lottery drawings held?
- Powerball: 10:59 p.m. ET on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
- Mega Millions: 11:00 p.m. ET on Tuesday and Friday.
- Lucky for Life: 10:30 p.m. ET daily.
- Millionaire for Life: 11:15 p.m. ET daily.
- Numbers (Midday): 1:30 p.m. ET daily.
- Numbers (Evening): 7:29 p.m. ET daily.
- Wild Money: 7:29 p.m. ET on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Rhode Island editor. You can send feedback using this form.
Watch: Khano Smith speaks with media after RIFC drew Tampa Bay
Watch as Khano Smith speaks with media after RIFC drew Tampa Bay
PAWTUCKET — JJ Williams finally had his space and rose to the opportunity.
The Rhode Island FC striker, deep in the attacking zone, came back to a cross and headed Nick Scardina’s service to the near post to salvage the night for Rhode Island. Williams’ goal landed in the 86th minute to draw Tampa Bay Rowdies, 1-1, in rain-soaked Pawtucket.
It’s the third draw in USL Championship play for Rhode Island at Centreville Bank Stadium this season. RIFC was turning in a familiar performance before snagging the tie against the league-leading Rowdies as Williams supplied his third regular-season goal of the year. The draw is the first time RIFC has earned a result after the opposition opened the scoring since its 1-1 tie vs. Birmingham Legion FC on July 5, 2025.
Rhode Island now travels to USL League One side Portland Hearts of Pine for its second game of the 2026 Prinx Tires USL Cup group stage on Saturday, May 16 at 4 p.m. The club returns to Pawtucket on May 23 against Brooklyn FC.
“All night they made it tough because they were doubling,” Williams said of Tampa Bay. “And wherever I went to, they were going contact first, especially in this league with no [Video Assistant Referee] … but on that one, the ball was so good that they spun around, and then I was able to make good contact.”
Rhode Island had a string of missed chances in the first 15 minutes that fed into a goal for Tampa Bay and then a triple substitution in the second half that provided little spark. Max Schneider’s cross from right of the box found Pedro Dolabella at the far post for a clinical header in the 29th minute in front of an announced attendance of 6,790.
The game’s first score came just 10 minutes after attempts from Hugo Bacharach and Jojea Kwizera were saved and Williams sailed an open shot past the bar.
“We tried to correct some of those things that we struggled with last week,” Williams said. “Getting to the ball, making tackles, making a stick, I think that we weren’t as clean in possession as we would have been, especially as we won the ball and played forward. We had a lot of turnovers in the first half where we could have seen more chances, but we did well to weather the storm early and create some. But for me, I [have] to bury that first one.”
Rhode Island creates plenty of chances — it is tied for fourth with 112 attempts — but has just 12 goals this season. If it had finished one of the early chances against Tampa Bay, it would’ve shifted the tenor of the match and forced the visitors to play outside of its form. But the final scoring sequence is still missing with the summer months coming soon.
“Happy with the spirit, happy with the effort, happy with the fight,” RIFC coach Khano Smith said. “You’ve seen that a lot with our team. They just fought to the end, never gave up, kept pushing. Ultimately, it’s two more points dropped at home, and we need to find a way to stop doing that. We need to be ruthless – just ruthless in front of the goal.”
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