Cannabis and Rhode Island

Rhode Island Gov. Gina Raimondo who was initially fully against recreational cannabis legalization has started to reconsider things. Even though the reconsideration is based on worries of losing revenue to neighboring states that have legalized rather than the benefits and reduction of harms through cannabis legalization you could say it is still a move in the right direction. "Things have changed, mainly because all of our neighbors are moving forward,” she told the Providence Journal in an article. “We’re not an island, in fact. Like it or not, we’re going to be incurring public safety and public health expenses because it’s legal in Massachusetts… And I think it is time for us to put together our own regulatory and taxing framework."

She has also expressed concerns that legalizing will not solve the problems of the black market and of those below the legal age consuming cannabis. But this is again another negative way of looking at things. If the role of the black market before and after prohibition is something to be looked at then she needs to look no further than alcohol which was prohibited in the US in the 1930s resulting in a flourishing black market that disappeared within a very short time of the lifting of alcohol prohibition. Regarding the concern of youth getting access to legal cannabis, some of the things to consider is that keeping it illegal is actually enabling primarily the youth to access cannabis rather than other age groups because of the black market's tendency to target youth as less troublesome buyers and sellers. The illegal status of cannabis increases interaction of youth with the black market, likelihood of youth recruitment into criminal gangs, increased likelihood of youth consuming adulterated cannabis, increased risk of law enforcement action against youth and imprisonment, decreased chances of employment, increased probability of youth graduating to more dangerous drugs such as heroin, methamphetamine, synthetic cannabinoids, novel psychotropic substances, non-medical use of prescription drugs through up selling by the illicit dealer and the difficulty of imposing age limits on the youth in the black market should also be considered.

Keeping cannabis illegal deprives the persons who need access to it the most that is the poorest, the minorities, the indigenous communities, the elderly, the ill and women. Cannabis is a proven safe recreational plant with its usage going as far back as man can remember. It is also one of the safest and most affordable universal medicines if home growing is permitted as has been done in many states where recreational use has been legalized.

Rhode Island is home to the co-founder of an organization which is one of the most active opponents of legal cannabis. Patrick Kennedy, a former Congressman, is co-founder of SAM, Smart Approaches to Marijuana. The SAM website says that SAM “envisions a society where marijuana policies are aligned with the scientific understanding of marijuana’s harms, and the commercialization and normalization of marijuana are no more,” which basically advocates continuing the status quo in the face of all the evidence to the need for the contrary. SAM receives funding from some of cannabis's main opponent industries including Dow Chemical Corporation.

With the increased spread of legalization and increasing awareness of the recreational and medical benefits of cannabis and its potential for harm reduction, hopefully Rhode Island will sooner rather than later take steps towards full adult recreational use legalization. At least 35 US states have legalized cannabis for medical use so far. The federal US government however continues to keep cannabis in the Schedule 1 list of banned substances saying that it has no medicinal value. The list of US states that have legalized adult recreational cannabis is available here. All these states have legalized cannabis for adult recreational use, aimed specifically at improving public health, ensuring equity,  reducing crime, decreasing the black market, improving law enforcement, reforming criminal justice, improving the economy, agriculture and industry, to name just a few reasons.

Listed below are articles taken from various media related to the above subject. Words in italics are the thoughts of your truly at the time of reading the article.  


'Bowing to pressure from nearby states that are moving to legalize marijuana, Rhode Island Gov. Gina Raimondo (D), who has long remained reluctant about the issue, says she will formally propose in her budget this week that the Ocean State end cannabis prohibition.

“Things have changed, mainly because all of our neighbors are moving forward,” she told the Providence Journal in an article published on Sunday. “We’re not an island, in fact. Like it or not, we’re going to be incurring public safety and public health expenses because it’s legal in Massachusetts… And I think it is time for us to put together our own regulatory and taxing framework.”'
https://www.marijuanamoment.net/rhode-island-governor-proposes-legalizing-marijuana/


Legalizing marijuana is not about the government or anybody else making tons of money or about putting people in the black market behind bars. It's about treating a plant as a normal plant like any other and the people who use the plant as normal human beings. It's about removing false notions of one's ability to control nature and a fellow human being from a position of illusory power.

'We favored making the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes legal in Rhode Island, as well as sharply reducing criminal penalties for possessing or using the drug. But it is interesting to note that legalizing marijuana does not, as many of its advocates promised, eliminate the black market. There are those who will find a market for customers who want lower prices or are beneath the legal buying age.

Rhode Island this spring is weighing the idea of legalizing marijuana as a way to tap into a new gusher of money for the government. Gov. Gina Raimondo proposed the idea as a way to make ends meet in her $9.9 billion state budget.'
https://www.providencejournal.com/opinion/20190401/editorial-not-so-high-in-massachusetts


'While Gov. Gina Raimondo (D) has been cautious about legalization over the years, her rhetoric has shifted recently, even going so far as to suggest that the state might be effectively peer pressured into ending cannabis prohibition by neighboring states that are moving ahead.

“I'm not sure at this point it is practical to say we’re not going to legalize and regulate,” she said.

House Speaker Nicholas Mattiello (D), who has similarly been reluctant about legalization, is also now pointing to other states as a reason to more seriously consider changing Rhode Island's laws.

"I am mindful that Massachusetts has legalized it, I believe Connecticut is going to legalize it,” he said. “I think we’re probably going to end up with more social costs without the revenues and that would probably be the worst situation of all.”

Meanwhile, the Republican House minority leader is all-in on legalization.'
https://www.forbes.com/sites/tomangell/2018/12/26/these-states-are-most-likely-to-legalize-marijuana-in-2019/#4359d02c5add


'The man behind SAM is Kevin Sabet, a former advisor for the federal Office of National Drug Control Policy during the Bill Clinton, George Bush, and Barack Obama administrations. Sabet started SAM in 2013 with Patrick Kennedy, the son of the late Ted Kennedy and a former Rhode Island congressman. SAM “envisions a society where marijuana policies are aligned with the scientific understanding of marijuana’s harms, and the commercialization and normalization of marijuana are no more,” according the group’s website.'
https://cannabiswire.com/2018/10/03/an-anti-cannabis-crusader-ramps-up-for-the-midterms-and-beyond/


As TPB evolves to provide superior experiences for its customers beyond tobacco, this investment provides the capabilities to be at the forefront of this burgeoning market. TPB and CASH will work together to support and encourage farmers in Rhode Island, Kentucky and across the country to develop hemp farming and cannabinoid cultivation techniques.'
https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181126005755/en/Turning-Point-Brands-Strategic-Investment-Canadian-American


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