Title 11, Title 11 Offenses

§§ 11-9-13.2 — 11-9-13.19 shall be cited as “An Act to Stop the Illegal Sale of Tobacco Products to Individuals Under Twenty-One (21) Years of Age.”

(a) No liquid, whether or not such liquid contains nicotine, that is intended for human consumption and used in an electronic nicotine-delivery system, as defined in § 11-9-13.4, shall be sold unless the liquid is contained in child-resistant packaging. (b) Any liquid nicotine co…

(a) The department of health shall provide to retail kratom and kratom products dealers signs concerning the prohibition of sales to individuals under twenty-one (21) years of age. This sign, or an exact duplicate of it made privately, shall be displayed in all locations where kr…

The distribution and/or redemption of free kratom or kratom products or coupons or vouchers redeemable for free or discounted kratom or kratom products, to any individual under twenty-one (21) years of age shall be prohibited. Further, the distribution and/or redemption of free k…

Kratom and kratom products shall only be sold at retail at the fixed location for which a person holds a kratom retailer license issued by the department of health. Delivery of kratom and kratom products to retail purchasers is prohibited.

The department of health and the department of behavioral healthcare, developmental disabilities and hospitals (BHDDH) shall have the authority to: (1) Investigate with other state and local officials any violations of this chapter. (2) Utilize unannounced statewide compliance ch…

The use of tobacco by Rhode Island children is a health and substance abuse problem of the utmost severity. The legislature finds that tobacco product usage by children in Rhode Island is rampant and increasing with over thirty percent (30%) of high school students smoking. The p…

For the purposes of this chapter: (1) “Bidi cigarette” means any product that (i) Contains tobacco that is wrapped in temburni or tender leaf, or that is wrapped in any other material identified by rules of the department of health that is similar in appearance or characteristics…

The Rhode Island department of behavioral healthcare, developmental disabilities and hospitals shall develop, monitor, and aggressively enforce health rules and regulations pertaining to stopping the illegal sale of tobacco products which include electronic nicotine-delivery syst…

The department of behavioral healthcare, developmental disabilities and hospitals shall: (1) Coordinate and promote the enforcement of the provisions of this chapter and serve as the primary liaison from this department to other state or local agencies, departments, or divisions …

Signs provided by the department of behavioral healthcare, developmental disabilities and hospitals, or an exact duplicate of it made privately, shall: (1) Contain in red bold lettering a minimum of three-eighths inch (3/8″) high on a white background the following wording in bot…

A person holding a license issued under chapter 20 of title 44 and/or chapter 28.12 of title 21, or an employee or agent of that person, is prohibited from selling, distributing, or delivering a tobacco product, including an electronic nicotine-delivery system product and/or krat…

No person shall be liable under this chapter for more than one citation on any one day. However, a single citation may list one or more violations of this chapter.

The provisions of §§ 11-9-13, 11-9-13.1, 11-9-13.4, 11-9-13.6, 11-9-13.7, 11-9-13.8, 11-9-13.10, 11-9-13.11, and 11-9-13.12 shall be interpreted so as not to be less restrictive than the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act, 21 U.S.C. § 387 et seq., including 21 U.S.C. § 387f(d), …

(a) Every person who shall tattoo any minor under the age of eighteen (18), except in accordance with subsection (b) for medical purposes, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction, shall be imprisoned not exceeding one year or be fined not exceeding three hundred dol…

(a) “Plastic bag” means a polyethylene bag, other than one used for food products weighing not more than five (5) pounds, intended for household use or for packaging articles intended for household use, which is larger than five inches (5″) in diameter at the opened end, and is m…

Every person who performs or aids and abets in the performance of a sterilization procedure on any person under the age of eighteen (18), unless the sterilization is incidental to, or is rendered necessary or unavoidable by, some other medical treatment or procedure required to p…

Any physician, nurse, or other licensed medical person who knowingly and intentionally fails to provide reasonable medical care and treatment to an infant born alive in the course of an abortion shall be guilty of a felony and upon conviction shall be fined not exceeding five tho…

(a) No person shall knowingly sell to any child under eighteen (18) years of age any aerosol container of paint capable of defacing property. (b) For purposes of this section, bona fide evidence of majority, identity of majority and identity of the person is a document issued by …

(a) No person under the age of eighteen (18) years shall have in his or her possession or under his or her control any aerosol container of spray paint. Any person violating the provisions of this section shall be subject to a requirement of up to fifty (50) hours of community re…

Every person who shall take, receive, hire, employ, exhibit, or have in custody, or who shall cause to be taken, hired, employed, exhibited, or held in custody, any child under the age of sixteen (16) years, for any of the purposes prohibited in § 11-9-1, shall be held guilty of …

(a) No person, firm or corporation that owns, manages or operates a place of business including vending machines shall knowingly sell, give or deliver matches to any child under the age of twelve (12) years. The owner, operator or manager of a place of business where matches are …

(a) It shall be a misdemeanor for any manufacturer, wholesaler, retailer, or other person, to sell, transfer, or otherwise furnish any of the following to a person under 18 years of age: (1) A dietary supplement containing an ephedrine group alkaloid. (2) A dietary supplement con…

The town sergeant of any town, the chief of police of any city, or any agent of the director of children, youth and families may enter any place where any child may be held, detained or employed in violation of §§ 11-9-1 — 11-9-8, and, without process of law, seize and detain the…

Every person who knowingly or willfully encourages, aids, contributes to, or in any way causes any child under the age of sixteen (16) years to violate any law of this state, or the ordinances of any town or city in this state, or who knowingly or willfully encourages, aids, cont…

(a) Every person having the custody or control of any child under the age of eighteen (18) years who shall abandon that child, or who shall treat the child with gross or habitual cruelty, or who shall wrongfully cause or permit that child to be an habitual sufferer for want of fo…

In order to protect a child from cruelty or neglect, where any person has reasonable cause to believe that any child is being neglected or cruelly treated as defined in § 14-1-3 and reports such incident to the department of children, youth, and families, the department must caus…

Any person participating in good faith in the making of a report pursuant to this chapter shall have immunity from any liability, civil or criminal, that might otherwise be incurred or imposed. Any such participant shall have the same immunity with respect to participation in any…

(a) This section shall be known and may be referred to as “Brendan’s Law.” (b) Whenever a person having care of a child, as defined by § 40-11-2(2), whether assumed voluntarily or because of a legal obligation, including any instance where a child has been placed by his or her pa…

(a) When used in this section, the following words and phrases are construed as follows: (1) “Child” means any person under eighteen (18) years of age. (2) “Serious bodily injury” shall have the same definition as contained in § 11-5-2(c). (3) “Sexual abuse” means any sexual cont…

No proceedings instituted under any of the provisions of §§ 11-9-1 — 11-9-8 shall in any manner affect or be affected by any proceedings which may be instituted under any of the provisions of chapter 9 of title 15.

Whenever any agent of the Children’s Friend and Service shall make complaint against any person for any of the offenses mentioned in §§ 11-9-1 — 11-9-8, the agent shall not be required to enter into any recognizance for costs. All costs and expenses attending the making of any co…

The general assembly shall annually appropriate any sum that it may deem necessary, out of any money in the treasury not otherwise appropriated, to be expended by the department of children, youth and families for the purpose of preventing cruelty to children, and the department …

Where in §§ 11-9-1 — 11-9-8 any authority is vested in any court, the authority vested in the court or courts mentioned is transferred to the family court. The family court shall have exclusive original jurisdiction over any and all complaints and offenses set forth in §§ 11-9-2,…

Every person who shall be convicted of the abominable and detestable crime against nature, with any beast, shall be imprisoned not exceeding twenty (20) years nor less than seven (7) years.

Every person who shall willfully interrupt or disturb any town or ward meeting, any assembly of people met for religious worship, any military funeral or memorial service, any public or private school, any meeting lawfully and peaceably held for purposes of moral, literary or sci…

Any person who shall willfully place in, on, about, or upon any theater, motion picture house, hall, or other building or place where people are assembled for the purpose of entertainment or instruction, any substance or thing that does or is liable to interrupt and disturb the p…

Whenever any religious society shall hold any camp, tent, grove or other out-door meeting, or the Society of General Six-principle Baptists of Rhode Island and Massachusetts shall hold their annual “general meeting,” for any purpose connected with the object for which the religio…

Every person who, by himself or herself or in concert with other persons, shall attempt by force, violence, threats or intimidation of any kind to prevent, or who shall prevent, any other person from entering upon and pursuing any employment, upon any terms and conditions as that…

Every person who shall be guilty of profane swearing and cursing shall be fined not exceeding five dollars ($5.00).

(a) The occupant load permitted in any assembly building structure, or portion of it, shall be determined by dividing the net floor area or space assigned to that use by the square feet per occupant as follows: (1) An assembly area of concentrated use without fixed seats such as …

Every person who shall voluntarily engage in a duel with any dangerous weapon, to the hazard of life, shall be imprisoned not exceeding seven (7) years nor less than one year.

Every person who shall challenge another to fight a duel with any dangerous weapon, to the hazard of life, and every person who shall accept a challenge to fight such duel, although no duel be fought, shall be imprisoned not exceeding seven (7) years nor less than one year.

Every person, being an inhabitant of or resident in this state, who shall fight a duel outside the jurisdiction of this state, by previous appointment or engagement made within this state, and in the duel shall inflict a mortal wound upon any person of which the person so injured…

Every person being an inhabitant of or resident in this state who shall, by previous appointment or engagement made within this state, be the second of either party in any duel as is mentioned in § 11-12-3 and shall be present as the second when the mortal wound is inflicted, of …

Any person indicted under either § 11-12-3 or 11-12-4 may plead a former conviction or acquittal of the same offense in the state or county in which the duel was fought, and that plea, if admitted or established, shall bar all further proceedings against the person for the same o…