The marijuana decriminalization law, passed by the general assembly last summer and signed into law by Governor Chafee, will take effect on the first nanosecond of Monday, April 1st. Possession of small amounts of marijuana will no longer carry criminal penalties in Rhode Island. The indispensable Robert Capecchi of the Marijuana Policy Project has the …
Marijuana Decrim Law Takes Effect Monday, April 1 Read More »
I don’t normally use exclamation points in the title line but . . . HOORAY! Rhode Island lawmakers have voted to decriminalize the possession of an ounce or less of marijuana. The House passed the legislation 50-to-24 Tuesday; the Senate passed the bill 28-to-6. It’s already a headline at NORML. Members of the House and …
[youtube]SyDgG271PnI[/youtube] As a speaker for Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (LEAP) I have testified at the state house in favor of liberalizing our marijuana laws, and I have written in this space before advocating an end to the “War on Drugs” altogether. So I keep an eye on related events and news from around the country. …
Testimony in front of the House and Senate Judiciary Committees in support of reforming our marijuana laws has concluded. There are actually two separate initiatives under consideration: decriminalization and legalization. Last week the house committee heard testimony on H7092 — the decriminalization bill introduced by Representative John G. Edwards (D-Portsmouth, Tiverton), which would make possession …
This Is The Year For Marijuana Reform In Rhode Island Read More »
It speaks volumes that several members of the General Assembly feel comfortable re-introducing a Marijuana Decriminalization bill even though it’s an election year. Perhaps politicians are finally figuring out that not only is there no political price to be paid for taking this position, but just the opposite may be true. We reported last month …
Late last month, the Marijuana Policy Project commissioned Public Policy Polling to survey Rhode Island voter attitudes toward marijuana policy. The results are in, and the numbers indicate that Rhode Islanders from both sides of the aisle are ready for change with an overwhelming 65% supporting a decrease in the penalties for simple possession of …
You’d think with someone named Weed at the helm . . . oh well, maybe next year. Big big thanks to Representative John Edwards (D-Tiverton) for sponsoring the ‘Marijuana Decriminalization’ bill which, despite having 40 cosponsors, apparently lost momentum in the final days/hours of this year’s sausage-making session of the General Assembly. (More on what …
The editorial board of the Providence Journal has come out in favor of bill H-5031/S-270 so that we may join the 14 other states that have eliminated jail time for possession of small amounts of marijuana. (ProJo 6.23.11) . . . we strongly support a bill in the Rhode Island General Assembly sponsored by state …
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 …
Josh Miller Goes National With Progressive Marijuana Policies Read More »
The Senate commission chaired by Senator Joshua Miller (D-Cranston) has recommended the decriminalization of an ounce or less of marijuana. According to the ProJo, the panel . . .voted Tuesday to approve the contents of a 24-page final report that concludes that “marijuana law reform” would save Rhode Island a substantial amount of money by …
… it ain’t legal yet. I don’t want any ‘students’ going off half-baked and sparking up a fatty in the Darlings’ parking lot. The Massachusetts marijuana initiative has a few more hurdles to clear before becoming law. And if I may speak to those DA’s who stood before the news cameras a while ago in …