Providence, RI Public Conduct: Public Marijuana Use (2026)

The statute works as a list of settings rather than a general "no public use" sentence, and each entry catches a different part of daily life in Providence. Smoking or vaporizing cannabis is unlawful in a school bus or other form of public transportation, which reaches RIPTA buses and trains. It is unlawful on any school grounds and in any correctional facility. The clause that does the most work is the sweeper: any public place, or other place where smoking or vaporizing of tobacco is prohibited. That imports the city's tobacco-restricted places wholesale, so the sidewalks of Federal Hill, Kennedy Plaza, city parks and the open campus spaces around Brown and RISD are all covered without the cannabis statute having to name them.

The last item on the list is not tied to a location at all. Smoking or vaporizing is unlawful where exposure to the cannabis smoke significantly adversely affects the health, safety, or welfare of children, which can apply on private property, including a porch or a shared triple-decker landing, if children are the ones breathing it.

Read the verbs closely. The statute prohibits smoking or vaporizing, so vape pens and other vaporizers sit squarely inside the ban rather than outside it.

The second sentence of the section shifts from place to vehicle: no person shall be in actual physical control of any motor vehicle, aircraft, or motorboat while under the influence of cannabis. Actual physical control is broader than driving, and the section names motorboats and aircraft alongside cars, so being at the controls is the test rather than whether the vessel or vehicle is moving.

None of this changes what an adult may possess. Under R.I. Gen. Laws 21-28.11, adults 21 and older may possess up to 1 ounce and may grow up to 4 plants at home. Lawful possession simply carries no right to consume in any of the places § 21-28.11-29 lists.