Rhode Island Lawmakers Offer Marijuana Compromise
"Welcome to Rhode Island sign" at Beach Pond, Hope Valley, RI (Flickr/Morrow Long)
PROVIDENCE, RI Marijuana legalizationadvocates fromRegulate Rhode Island and allied legislators are announcing a new proposal they call incremental legalization.
Specifically, the compromise legislation would:
Sen. Joshua Miller (D-Cranston) and Rep. Scott Slater (D-Providence) are prepared to amend their legalization bills (S 0420 and H 5555) to reflect these changes.
We are prepared to compromise in a significant way, but there must be progress on the issue this year, said Sen. Miller.Our proposal balances the will of the majority of voters who want marijuana to be legal for adults while respecting colleagues who want to slow things down and get the regulations right.
Legislative leaders in Massachusetts say that marijuana businesses will be open there no later than July 1, 2018, added Rep. Slater.Rhode Islanders will be able to cross the border and legally purchase marijuana, and they should not be considered lawbreakers in our state when they come back. Virtually all of our neighboring states are moving in this direction, and we want to see Rhode Island at least establish a viable path to legalization so that we are ready to move forward next year.
On Tuesday, the House Judiciary Committee approved an amended version of H 5551, which would establish a 22-person study commission on marijuana legalization.
The Marijuana Policy Project and its local partner Regulate Rhode Island believe the Houses study commission will be ineffective.
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