Marijuana Policy Project

PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND The final push to make the Edward O. Hawkins and Thomas C. Slater Medical Marijuana Act permanent is getting underway as legislators concluded formal approval of the bill today. The measure now moves to desk of Gov. Donald Carcieri (R).

Recently, Carcieri spokesman Jeff Neal told reporters, "I expect that Governor Carcieri will veto the latest medical marijuana bill." Carcieri's veto of the original medical marijuana legislation was overridden by legislators.

Still, patients have not entirely given up hope on the governor. "I hope the governor will really look at how this law has worked over the last year and how it's protected people like me and over 260 other seriously ill Rhode Islanders, and if he does that I think he'll sign the bill," said Rhonda O'Donnell, a Rockville registered nurse suffering from multiple sclerosis who was the first patient to sign up for the program. "But if the governor does issue another veto, I have faith that our legislators will stand up for suffering patients and override him one more time."

An override vote requires support of 60 percent of members present and voting. The bill passed both houses of the legislature with over 80 percent support.

"The governor's spokesman appears to be giving excuses for a veto rather than actual reasons," said Ray Warren, director of state policies for the Marijuana Policy Project in Washington, D.C., which has been working closely with local activists in support of the bill. "He spoke of the law 'promoting the illicit drug trade,' when it actually does precisely the opposite by giving patients a safe alternative to getting their medicine on the streets. The members of Rhode Island's General Assembly have shown that they understand how much this law has helped suffering patients and how few problems there have been, and we're confident they will do what's right."

With more than 21,000 members and 100,000 e-mail subscribers nationwide, the Marijuana Policy Project is the largest marijuana policy reform organization in the United States. MPP believes that the best way to minimize the harm associated with marijuana is to regulate marijuana in a manner similar to alcohol. For more information, please visit www.MarijuanaPolicy.org.