R.I. compassion center bill heading to the Senate floor -- act now
This has been an amazing week for the move to improve medical marijuana access in Rhode Island. On Wednesday, the Senate Health and Human Services Committee unanimously passed a compassion center bill (5-0, with three absent). That means the next Senate vote on S.B. 2693 will be the full floor! On Tuesday, the House Health, Education, and Welfare Committee heard compelling testimony on a twin House bill, H.B. 7888.
If you are a patient, a medical professional, or caregiver who is willing to send a letter to the entire House committee, in addition to your own legislators, please e-mail Karen@mpp.org.
The Rhode Island Patient Advocacy Coalition did a terrific job organizing testimony before both the House and Senate committees. On Tuesday, representatives from the nurses' and doctors' societies testified in support of the bill, as did several patients and doctors. One patient, George Desroches Jr., spoke of having a gun pointed at him seven times while buying his medicine. He's one of at least three patients who have been mugged buying the medicine they depend on off the criminal market.
When you raise your voice to provide patients like George access to their medicine, you won't be alone. In the past month, the Rhode Island State Council of Churches; the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, Rhode Island Chapter; and the Rhode Island Office of the Public Defender joined the many other supporters of allowing medical marijuana compassion centers.
In 2006 and 2007, the state legislature recognized that patients should be able to use marijuana with their doctors' approval. They passed and made permanent the Edward O. Hawkins and Thomas C. Slater Medical Marijuana Act with more than 80% of the vote, over Gov. Don Carcieri's vetoes. As a result, over 350 seriously ill Rhode Islanders are registered to use medical marijuana. Those victories were made possible by hundreds of Rhode Islanders contacting their elected officials to let them know they care about this issue. To make sure they have a place to safely obtain their medicine, please don't forget to write your legislators.
Thank you for supporting the Marijuana Policy Project, our allies, and Rhode Island's seriously ill patients. Please pass this e-mail alert on to friends, family, and listservs in Rhode Island so that we can create the momentum necessary to provide patients with a safe supply of their medicine. |
