Josh Miller — Senator for District 28, Cranston and Warwick and owner of the Hot Club, Trinity Brewhouse, Local 121 — is now writing to a national audience on the topic of marijuana decriminalization/legalization. Check out the CNBC blog for his thoughtful piece “Rhode Island’s Drive for Sensible Marijuana Laws” posted this morning, including this local update,
On April 13, the Rhode Island House Judiciary Committee went where few states before it have gone, holding its first-ever hearing on a bill that would tax and regulate marijuana like alcohol in the state. Taxing and regulating marijuana would be very different from decriminalizing it for one simple reason: under decriminalization laws, the sale of marijuana remains illegal. Taxing and regulating marijuana would remove the drug from the criminal market, allow state-licensed adults over 21 to cultivate up to three marijuana plants for personal use, make it legal for licensed merchants to sell to adults, and allow governments to make tax revenue from its sale.
If you live in Miller’s district, lucky you. If not, make sure your representatives know that you support Senator Miller’s efforts. (Keep up with his activities and read his newsletter at Josh Miller — State Senate.)
I tried to find another picture of him — even thought a candid shot might be nice — but there just wasn’t much to pick from. I’m also kind of glad he doesn’t care about such things. But if he could just get a family member to snap a few head shots, then bloggers would have more to work with that’s for sure. Next post will have to be the old marijuana leaf again.
Interesting article! I’ve been following Slate articles on a Rhode Island family’s experience providing marijuana to their 9-year-old autistic son: http://www.doublex.com/section/health-science/why-i-give-my-9-year-old-pot. I imagine local families would feel infiniately relieved to have their own or their children’s medical supplies taxed and regulated instead of looked at as dark-alley transactions.
And I have to respectfully agree with Kevin…I’ve never seen or met Sen. Miller, but I’m sure he must be more photogenic than that ; )
great article! decrim is wonderful to have in MA and i hope RI passes it too, but Sen. Miller is right, taxing and regulating is the only way to take a drug out of the criminal element.
Kevin, true dat! They use that same shot on CNBC.com. Spend a couple bucks, Josh. Too bad there aren’t any photographers around PVD…
MG, I’m so with you on this approach – and note that it’s the finance channel not the news channel where this is floated. I’d go the step further: drug laws ensure the market. That is, the risk/reward equation keeps prices and therefore profits high. The reward must be equivalent to the very large risk of criminal enterprise. And, indeed, that reward is so high that there is ALWAYS someone willing to step in and take the risk absent another player. There is no supply side solution.
Ultimately, there needs to be a general understanding that the prohibition of vice drives criminal behavior and criminal markets. No doubt, vice comes with big, big problems, but prohibition only makes them worse.
He needs a new photograph if he wants to be taken seriously. Just sayin’…
THIS IS BRILLIANT!
Seriously, if this works out, it totally disarms a huge portion of the problem ‘drug dealers’ and will likely eliminate a lot of the violence that’s associated with illegal drug activity. I’ll trade away dealers, smugglers, and runners for shopkeepers, entrepreneurs, and farmers -any day-.