Rhode Island House delays medical marijuana vote -- more time to speak out

The Rhode Island House vote on H. 6005 has been delayed until next Wednesday, May 2, to clarify a portion of the medical marijuana bill. Thank you so much to all 60 of you who have written your legislators. For those of you who haven't yet, this means you have an additional five days to make sure Rhode Island does not criminalize the terribly ill for treating their illnesses.

In 2005 and 2006, the General Assembly stood up for patients, overriding Gov. Donald Carcieri's veto of the medical marijuana bill. If you haven't done so already, please ask your legislators to continue showing their compassion by making the Edward O. Hawkins and Thomas C. Slater Medical Marijuana Act permanent.

Here's what you can do to help make sure H. 6005 passes by a veto-proof margin:

1. Write your legislators, if you haven't done so already.

If you have not yet sent a letter to your legislators, please click here to do so. Our automated system will allow you to contact your legislators in just a few moments. You can send a pre-written letter or, for added effect, you can modify the letter or draft your own. Please remember to keep your letter focused on the issue legislators will be voting on the medical use of marijuana.

2. Call your representative, if you have not done so yet.

You can visit http://www.sec.state.ri.us/vic/ to look up your state representative and his or her number. When you call, keep your message simple. After saying your name and town, urge the representative to vote for H. 6005, the medical marijuana act. You could also mention that the law is protecting very ill patients, without hurting anyone. Or note that it is supported by the state medical society, the state nurses association, and 79% of voters.

3. Urge your friends, colleagues, and family in Rhode Island to take action.

Although 60 letters is a great start, there are 75 state representatives. That means that some state representatives haven't received any constituent letters. Please consider asking other compassionate Rhode Islanders to write their legislators. With 79% popular support for allowing medical marijuana, chances are that your friends and family members support this law.

Thanks to many constituent voices, brave patients, and caring doctors and legislators, seriously ill patients are currently protected from arrest under Rhode Island law. More than 250 seriously ill Rhode Islanders are currently registered to use medical marijuana according to their doctors' recommendations. With your help, we can prevent this compassionate law from expiring. Thank you for your support.