Senate passes medical marijuana 34-2'governor promises veto

Today, 34 Rhode Island senators voted to stop the cruel and senseless prosecution of people battling MS, cancer, AIDS, and other serious illnesses. Only two senators voted against medical marijuana bill S.B. 710, and two were absent. This brings Rhode Island a huge step closer to becoming the 11th medical marijuana state.

But, Gov. Donald Carcieri (R) has promised to veto the bill. We need you to e-mail him now. Ask him to reverse course and to pledge to protect patients from arrest.

Gov. Carcieri is pretending that criminalizing patients is not doing them a favor. He's trying to shield his heartlessness behind the claim (through his press secretary) that "we would be putting Rhode Islanders in danger of federal prosecution." But 99% of all arrests are at the state and local level. Making people who are trying to stop cancer-induced wasting live in terror isn't doing them a favor. Arresting AIDS patients for using a medicine that allows them to stay on livesaving anti-HIV medication doesn't do them a favor. Taking away MS patients' housing for trying to maintain their ability to write or walk is not doing them a favor.

Please e-mail Gov. Carcieri. After that, please send a letter-to-the-editor of your local paper. Rhode Islanders have seen Carcieri's false claim that his opposition is justified by the U.S. Supreme Court decision and that somehow letting the gravely ill use marijuana will increase teen use. Please, take a few moments to counter these claims.

This tremendous victory shows, once again, that medical marijuana is a bipartisan issue. Of Rhode Island's five Republican senators, four voted for the bill and one was absent.

Please tell your friends, family, neighbors, and e-mail lists to take action, so that this can be the last year that Rhode Island's gravely ill have to live in fear of arrest.