By Beth
Comery in the Providence
Daily Dose
There is unprecedented support in the general assembly this year
for legislation that would effectively legalize adult use of marijuana in Rhode
Island.
The past few years similar bills have not made it out of committee —
but look who is already on board this year as co-sponsors. From Jared Moffat director
of Regulate
Rhode Island.
Just wanted to let you all know that Sen. Miller’s legislation to end marijuana prohibition and establish a system to regulate and tax marijuana for adults has been posted online (click here) and referred to the Senate Judiciary Committee. You’ll notice that among the bill’s top co-sponsors are Senate Judiciary Chairman McCaffrey and Senate Majority Leader Ruggerio. We are certainly grateful to have the support of these leaders in the Senate. We are also happy that 6 of the 10 members of the Senate Judiciary Committee are co-sponsors as well: Sen. Conley, Sen. Jabour, Sen. Erin Lynch Prata, Sen. McCaffrey, Sen. Metts, and Sen. Nesselbush.
So kudos to Senate Majority Leader Ruggerio for educating himself on the topic and demonstrating true
leadership. Standing for a more sensible, and more just, approach to
controlling marijuana no longer requires political courage — in fact, it
reflects the will of the people.
So let your representatives
know that you support ending marijuana prohibition in Rhode
Island.
Marijuana is objectively less harmful than alcohol, and it is
time for Rhode Island to stop punishing adults who make the safer choice. Let’s
get this done this year!
(I am a speaker for Law
Enforcement Against Prohibition (LEAP) an organization of criminal justice professionals who
bear personal witness to the wasteful futility and harms of our current drug
policies.)