R.I.: A failure to see the forest from the trees

Published: July 1, 2011

It is with great disappointment that I have to inform you that the Rhode Island General Assembly has recessed for the summer without voting on marijuana decriminalization. Despite majority support in both the House and the Senate, leadership failed to give the bills a vote. I guess they don’t think Rhode Island has use for the estimated $4-11 million that the bill would have saved.

This isn’t good news, I know, but we’re not giving up, and I hope you don’t either. Please email Speaker of the House Fox, House Majority Leader Mattiello, and Senate President Paiva Weed, and express your disappointment over their failure to bring marijuana decriminalization to a vote. Also, be sure to keep your ear to the ground and look out for future alerts as we’re coming back to Providence to finish what we started.

I’d very much like to thank those who helped us get as far as we have. First and foremost, our wonderful bill sponsors, Sen. Josh Miller and Rep. John G. Edwards. These two champions of marijuana policy reform truly went to bat for this bill and have expressed their desire to continue fighting to reform Rhode Island’s marijuana policy. I’d also like to thank our lobbyists, Wally Gernt and Chris Reilly, from the Bradford Group, Andrew Doty at the Rhode Island Campaign for Informed Marijuana Policy, Law Enforcement Against Prohibition speakers Jack Cole, Beth Comery, and Karen Hawkes, and Students for Sensible Drug Policy volunteers, Oliver Torres from Brown and Kristin Purvis from URI, for their wonderful advocacy at the grass roots level.

Finally, thank you all who contacted your legislators and legislative leadership.