Victory! R.I. Senate passes compassion centers bill 35-2, House committee vote tomorrow

Medical marijuana patients in Rhode Island are a giant step closer to having safe access to their medicine. This afternoon, the Senate overwhelmingly voted to pass S. 0185, which would give the state's more than 600 medical marijuana patients safe and consistent access to the medicine they need! Over 92% of the senators voted for the bill, which exceeds the 60% threshold needed to override a possible governor's veto.

This is an important step, but we have much yet to do. Tomorrow, for the first time, the House Health, Education, and Welfare Committee has scheduled a vote on H. 5359, our compassion centers bill. We need to make sure that committee members hear from their constituents on the importance of this legislation. Please call your representative  to urge her or him to pass H. 5359 out of committee. Once you type in your zip code or address, our automated system will only display the call script if your representative is on the committee. Then ask your friends and family to do the same.

It is also never too early to reach out to all representatives and convey your support for H. 5359 in preparation for the upcoming House floor vote. Please urge your representative to stand up for patients and support this legislation so that Rhode Island patients will finally have safe access to the medicine they need. Constituent calls and e-mails were key to passing Rhode Island's medical marijuana law in 2006, and they are vital to this effort as well.

Some of Rhode Island's medical marijuana patients are too ill or lack the financial resources or physical ability to grow their own medical marijuana, and do not have a trusted friend or family member to act as a caregiver and cultivate on their behalf. This lack of safe access has forced some seriously ill patients into the underground market, which can be dangerous. This much-needed legislation will create non-profit compassion centers that can distribute medical marijuana to these qualified patients.

As always, thank you to the Rhode Island Patient Advocacy Coalition, who did great work coordinating riveting testimony from patients, doctors, and advocates in the House and Senate committees and lobbying to secure extra votes in both chambers.

To ensure that patients can safely obtain the medicine that Rhode Island law allows them to possess, please don't forget to write your legislators.

Thank you for supporting the Marijuana Policy Project, the Rhode Island Patient Advocacy Coalition, and Rhode Island's seriously ill patients. You can also check MPP's Rhode Island news page for coverage of today's vote.