A new study finds that Rhode Island’s required warnings on cannabis products fall short of best practices for informing consumers about health risks, even as the state earned a passing grade for its labeling rules compared with other states that have legalized adult-use marijuana.

The report, “Cannabis-Use Warning Shortcomings by State,” released by the American Enterprise Institute, reviewed packaging regulations in states with legal recreational cannabis. It compared state-mandated warnings against 12 health and safety features recommended in research by the National Institutes of Health. No state includes all 12, the study found.

Rhode Island received a B grade in the analysis, placing it among a group of states that cover several but not most of the NIH-recommended elements. Top-scoring states such as Colorado, Connecticut, Montana and New Jersey addressed eight concerns, including risks of psychosis, harm to pregnant women and the need to keep products away from children.

Rhode Island’s rules require several standard warnings on retail-ready cannabis products: “This product contains cannabis. Store securely locked away from children.” They also mandate statements that it is unlawful to transport the product outside the state, that cannabis use may impair the ability to operate a motor vehicle or machinery, and that consumption while pregnant or breastfeeding may be harmful.

According to the AEI report, Rhode Island’s cannabis warning labels do not include explicit mentions of serious mental health risks such as psychosis, along with other NIH-recommended details on long-term health effects or addiction potential that are absent in most states’ requirements.

The AEI report, authored by senior fellow Howard Husock and based on a review of state regulations from late 2025 to early 2026, highlights broader shortcomings nationwide. Many states provide only minimal information on mental health risks, such as psychosis, or long-term effects. Few require graphic images like those on tobacco products, which research shows are more effective at changing behavior than text alone. Warnings often appear in neutral designs featuring marijuana leaves rather than evocative imagery of potential harms.

“State warnings show wide variation and often minimal health risk information,” the report states. It notes that driving impairment warnings appear in about 20 states, while explicit psychosis warnings are far rarer.

Rhode Island legalized recreational cannabis in 2022. Adult-use sales have since grown, generating tax revenue for the state while regulators under the Cannabis Control Commission oversee packaging and labeling.

The study argues that the patchwork of state rules creates a “regulatory free-for-all” that fails to fully educate consumers amid rising evidence of risks, including impaired driving, cardiovascular issues, mental health disorders and effects on developing brains. It recommends that a federal agency propose standardized warning text and graphics, potentially drawing from Surgeon General or Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance.

Public health experts have long called for stronger warnings as cannabis potency has increased and use has broadened. The findings come as cannabis remains in a legal gray area federally, even as more states move toward legalization or decriminalization. Husock concludes that without uniform standards, states risk under-informing the public about a product the report describes as “far from risk-free.”