Rhode Island Passes Medical Marijuana Compassion Centers Law

Rhode Island became the first state ever to expand an existing medical marijuana law to establish state-licensed "compassion centers" to provide medicine to qualified patients. The state legislature overrode the governor's veto June 16 by an overwhelming 35-3 in the Senate and 67-0 in the House. Learn more here.

In the News

  • Editorial: New Hampshire Governor Should Sign Medical Marijuana Bill
  • [For] chronically ill individuals suffering from cancer, multiple sclerosis, HIV or other diseases – who can’t stomach the side effects of heavy-duty painkillers such as OxyContin, Percocet and Vicodin – there is no legitimate reason why they shouldn’t be able to find a little comfort in their less than comfortable existence. ... Governor, the time has come to do the right thing. Supporters of this bill have done everything you have asked. There is only one thing left to do. Sign the bill. (July 1, 2009)

  • New Hampshire Medical Marijuana Bill Before Legislators, Then Governor
  • People with debilitating conditions who use pot as medicine may finally see the threat of criminal charges go up in smoke, as the state's altered medical marijuana bill is expected to receive a final review in the Legislature today. The changes a conference committee made to the bill will be put to the test, as a vote to approve the new language of the bill is scheduled in the New Hampshire House and Senate, before being sent for final endorsement from Gov. John Lynch. The original bill passed in both the House and the Senate before Lynch told members of the House he would veto it if there weren't changes made. (June 24, 2009)

  • Delaware Medical Marijuana Bill Part of Growing Trend
  • Delaware legislators don't necessarily have to stick out their necks politically to legalize medical marijuana use here. Since California passed a law legalizing medical marijuana in 1996, 12 more states have followed suit. An advocate of the Delaware proposal says that tally is more significant than it might seem. ... "They've been passing at the rate of one a year since 1996, even with intense opposition from the federal government. In most places, there's very intense opposition from law enforcement combined with, frankly, timidity on the part of legislators who don't understand how popular this issue is. They're more afraid of the issue than they need to be," [said Bruce Mirken of the Marijuana Policy Project.] (June 22, 2009)

  • Rhode Island Compassion Center Law Reignites Medical Marijuana Push in Connecticut
  • Rhode Island approved "compassion centers" — places where chronically ill Rhode Island residents who are registered with the state's health department and have a prescription from a doctor may buy pot to ease their pain. ... [Penny] Bacchiochi said that compared with the new Rhode Island law, Connecticut's proposal "was a baby step." It would have allowed patients with conditions such as cancer, epilepsy, glaucoma, multiple sclerosis or AIDS to grow up to four marijuana plants in their homes with a doctor's prescription. (June 19, 2009)

  • Delaware Medical Marijuana Bill Gaining Support
  • If a bill before the state Senate is passed, Delaware soon could join 13 other states that have legalized the possession of marijuana for medical use, but while there appears to be significant popular support for the measure, some legislators and physicians aren’t quite ready to jump on the bandwagon. ... Noah Mamber, a legislative analyst with the Washington D.C.-based Marijuana Policy Project, said his group wants to reassure doctors that a medical marijuana law would not usurp their authority to work with their patients in the best way they see fit. ... “We trust doctors a lot in our society. We trust them to prescribe very serious drugs like opiates, which can cause overdoses that can lead to death,” he said. “Clearly, if we can trust doctors to prescribe these much more serious and dangerous drugs, we can trust doctors to do the right thing and have the right judgment in prescribing medical marijuana to patients who need it.” (June 17, 2009)

MPP Blog

Could Medical Marijuana Have Saved Michael Jackson?

Okay, let me say right up front that a) I know that headline is provocative, and b) neither I nor anyone can answer the question with any certainty given what we know and don’t know so far about Michael Jackson’s death. But the question needs to be asked. It needs to be asked because suspicions that [...]

Published: Jul 02, 2009 04:10 PM CDT

Speaking of Drugs More Dangerous Than Marijuana…

An FDA panel just recommended reducing the maximum dose of acetaminophen, the active ingredient in Tylenol. Taken by millions of Americans every day as either a stand-alone medication or as an ingredient in various over-the-counter cold remedies, acetaminophen is the leading cause of liver failure in the U.S., resulting in hundreds of deaths by overdose [...]

Published: Jun 30, 2009 02:59 PM CDT

The Red Line between Love and Hate

Steve Fox, MPP’s new director of state campaigns (who was also MPP’s federal lobbyist from 2002-2005), sends in the following dispatch: While riding the Metro’s Red Line yesterday, I spotted former drug czar John Walters entering the train. When he ended up standing right beside me, I realized I couldn’t pass up the chance for a [...]

Published: Jun 30, 2009 10:30 AM CDT

Booze Kills. Really.

From time to time we get some flack for pointing out that as a “recreational” substance, marijuana is safer than alcohol. Anyone who doubts that claim might want to look at this new study from The Lancet, one of the world’s top medical journals. Researchers reviewed information on deaths in three major Russian cities from 1990 [...]

Published: Jun 26, 2009 03:42 PM CDT

Your Bill, Your Decision, Gov. Lynch

Today the New Hampshire Legislature approved a medical marijuana bill custom tailored to addresses the governor’s concerns in hopes of avoiding a veto that would leave the state’s medical marijuana patients vulnerable to arrest, even if they have their doctor’s recommendation. Gov. John Lynch told lawmakers that he would veto the bill in its original form, [...]

Published: Jun 24, 2009 04:49 PM CDT

Woman Dies in Jail While Serving Two and a Half Weeks For Marijuana Possession

From time to time drug warriors tell us that no one goes to jail for marijuana possession. Tell that to Cynthia Prude, whose daughter Theresa died in a Houston, Texas jail over the weekend while serving a two and one-half week jail sentence for marijuana possession. Thus far, officials aren’t revealing the circumstances or the cause [...]

Published: Jun 24, 2009 03:54 PM CDT

Israel to Have 1,200 Medical Marijuana Patients by September

Here in the U.S., medical marijuana is still routinely branded as some sort of sinister “drug legalizer” conspiracy. In Israel, according to a fascinating article in the newspaper Haaretz, the leading conspirator appears to be the Ministry of Health. Officials have authorized over 700 patients to use marijuana for medical purposes, and expect the number to [...]

Published: Jun 22, 2009 05:02 PM CDT

Get Local

US Map

MPP tracks marijuana policy in all 50 states and at the federal level.

Member Center

Username

Password

Forgot Password? | Join


myspace

Victims

More Victim Stories

MPP in the News

  • BruceCNBCRports061809INTHENEWS

    June 18, 2009 — Bruce Mirken discusses the introduction of compassion centers in Rhode Island, the benefits of taxing and regulating marijuana, and its efficacy as medicine on "CNBC Reports."

  • RobCNNAC360_061609INTHENEWS

    June 16, 2009 — Rob Kampia appears on CNN's "Anderson Cooper 360" to talk about the reasons to support treating marijuana like alcohol in a regulated fashion.

  • BruceDLnewONAIR

    March 28, 2009 — MPP's Bruce Mirken is interviewed by CNN correspondent D.L. Hughley.

  • Bruce on CNN ONAIR 02-01-2009

    February 1, 2009 — MPP's Bruce Mirken discusses th benefits of marijuana policy reform on CNN.

  • TroyONAIR

    March 26, 2009 — MPP's Troy Dayton criticizes the DEA's raid on a San Francisco medical marijuana facility despite U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder's announcement that federal law enforcement would not target state-legal facilities on CBS affiliate KPIX.

  • 02112009MinnesotaKSTP

    February 11, 2009 — MPP's medical marijuana bill passes Minnesota Senate health committee 8-3.

  • Dan Bernath on G4's

    December 10, 2008 — MPP's Dan Bernath discusses recent changes in Amsterdam's marijuana coffee shop zoning on G4's "Attack of the Show!"

  • AaronHoustonRussiaToday12172008

    December 17, 2008 — MPP's Aaron Houston discusses the future of marijuana policy in the Obama administration, on Russia Today news.

  • 05132008RobMontelFOX

    May 13, 2008 — MPP's Rob Kampia and Montel Williams discuss marijuana law reform on Fox Business News' "Happy Hour".

  • Clayton Holten and Mitt Romney on CNN Oct. 6, 2007

    October 6, 2007 — Medical marijuana patient Clayton Holton asks GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney if he would end federal raids targeting patients in medical marijuana states during a forum in Dover, New Hampshire. Romney refused to answer Holton's question and walked away.

  • 06052008AaronHoustonFoxBusinessNews

    June 5, 2008 — MPP's Aaron Houston discusses the financial savings and potential revenue that could be generated by taxation and regulation of marijuana, on FOX Business News channel.

  • Rob8TX092407_tn.jpg

    August 24, 2007 — MPP executive director Rob Kampia appeared on the Austin, Texas, ABC affiliate KVUE to discuss a new law allowing police the option of citing -- rather than arresting -- minor marijuana offenders. Each marijuana arrest costs Texas taxpayers an estimated $2,000 and takes a police officer off the street for four- to-six hours to book that nonviolent offender.

  • DanBernathCNN08082008

    August 8, 2008 -- MPP's Dan Bernath discusses the portrayal of marijuana users in films and television on CNN Headline News' "Showbiz Tonight."

  • 20080416NealWCCO

    April 16, 2008 -- MPP's Neal Levine on CBS affiliate WCCO in Minneapolis, urging Minnesota lawmakers to pass a law protecting qualified medical marijuana patients from arrest.

  • Bruce on KTVU Jan. 24, 2008

    Jan. 24, 2008 - Bruce Mirken appears on FOX affiliate KTVU in San Francisco, discussing the California Supreme Court decision giving employers the right to fire legal medical marijuana patients in the state.

  • Bruce Mirken on KRON Jan. 27, 2008

    Jan. 27, 2008 - Bruce Mirken appears on KRON in San Francisco, discussing the California Supreme Court decision giving employers the right to fire legal medical marijuana patients in the state.

  • Kampia-big_idea-20070309.thumbnail.small.jpg

    March 9, 2007 – MPP's Rob Kampia appears on Fox News Channel's "The Big Story" to discuss dispensing medical marijuana to high schoolers who have doctor's recommendations and parental consent

  • BRUCE_FENNELLREPORT.JPG

    July 30, 2007 — MPP's Bruce Mirken discusses the safety and efficacy of medical marijuana on the Comcast Network's "Art Fennell Reports."

  • 20061229_kampia_msnbc.thumbnail.png

    December 19, 2006 — MPP's Rob Kampia appears on MSNBC to discuss a new study identifying marijuana as the top cash crop in the U.S.

  • 20050504SanchezMontel.jpg

    May 4, 2005 — Congresswoman Linda Sanchez (D-CA) presents MPP's Public Face of Reform Award to TV host and medical marijuana patient Montel Williams at MPP's 10th anniversary gala in Washington, D.C.

Celebrities

  • "[A] marijuana grower can land in prison for life without parole while a murderer might be in for eight years. No rational person can defend this; it is a Dostoevskian nightmare and it exists only because politicians fled in the face of danger." — Garrison Keillor, radio personality

  • RKANDHH.JPG

    In March 2006, more than 700 MPP supporters attended MPP's party at the Playboy Mansion, raising more than $170,000 for MPP's work to reform marijuana laws. - Pictured: Hugh Hefner after receiving Pioneer Award from MPP's Rob Kampia.

  • "I am absolutely in support of legalizing marijuana. It doesn't make any sense to me to keep it illegal when there is little argument that alcohol and tobacco are clearly far more deadly." — Margaret Cho

  • JOHN STOSSEL.JPG

    MPP Executive Director Rob Kampia and award-winning news correspondent John Stossel

  • MONTEL_SPEAKS_V1.GIF

    Montel Williams called for passage for New York's medical marijuana bill at an MPP-organized press conference in Albany in May 2004 (pictured here with New York health officials and legislators).

  • KAMPIAFRIEDMAN.JPG

    Nobel Laureate Milton Friedman -- shown here with MPP's Rob Kampia -- was a lifetime member of MPP and a staunch advocate of marijuana policy reform.

  • "There's been medical marijuana ever since there's been medicine. Nobody gets hurt, so why not? People still smoke marijuana, and they still go to work." — Gary Coleman

  • HINCHEY-AWARD.JPG

    Congressman Maurice Hinchey (D-NY) received MPP's Legislative Leadership Award at MPP's June 2006 Awards Gala in New York City.

  • ROBBINS_V1.GIF

    "I support MPP because our existing marijuana laws — based on fear, ignorance, and vested interests — are unenlightened, overreactive, and often inhumane to the point of tyrannical cruelty." — best-selling author Tom Robbins

  • "Instead of taking five or six of the prescriptions, I decided to go a natural route and smoke marijuana ... Every single one (of my doctors) was, 'Oh, yeah. That's the best help for the effects of chemotherapy."— Melissa Etheridge