Despite resounding House and Senate votes in favor of legalizing medical marijuana, a spokesman for Governor Donald L. Carcieri maintains that the governor will veto the legislation. Some observers, though, citing the widespread support, question whether Carcieri may quietly let the measure become law. For his part, the governor has been somewhat ambiguous in comments to the press, professing a "wait and see" approach. The breadth of support for medical marijuana in Rhode Island can be seen in the large number of legislative cosponsors, including House Minority Leader Robert Watson (R-East Greenwich), a Republican stalwart, and backing from such groups as the Rhode Island Medical Society and the Rhode Island State Nurses Association. "The support is all over the state right now," says state Representative Thomas Slater (D-Providence), the bill's chief House backer. "There's great concern about the compassion for those people who are elderly and those people who are on their last legs, so to say." Similarly, Watson says testimony from patients and their family members led many more people to support the bill than in the past. [continues 247 words]
If the state House of Representatives joins the state Senate and overturns the governor's veto of medical marijuana legislation it will represent a triumph of compassion and reason over indifference and ignorance. When Gov. Donald L. Carceiri vetoed the measure - overwhelmingly approved in both legislative chambers - he cited a host of reasons, including the following, some of which left people scratching their heads. - - "Marijuana is an addictive narcotic." C'mon, that sounds like something out of the 1960s, when ignorance of marijuana had paranoid people comparing it to heroin. That ludicrous idea sent those smoking pot into gales of laughter and had the side effect of negating those spouting such tripe of any shred of credibility. I have never known anyone - and I've known plenty of people who smoked pot regularly for years - who became "addicted" to marijuana. Most of those I knew from my younger days have long since moved on to legal - and probably more addictive - highs of liquor. [continues 713 words]
The regular session is over. But the General Assembly could be called back to vote on several gambling matters. PROVIDENCE -- The General Assembly headed into the start of a summer recess just before 1:30 a.m. yesterday, finishing a session that may well be known as the year officials agreed to overhaul the state's public-employee pension system. Other notable votes this year by lawmakers included the approval of medical marijuana, new regulations to oversee the finances of nursing homes, and the resurrection of a planned phase-out of the state's much-hated car tax. [continues 1814 words]
PROVIDENCE - The Senate voted Thursday to override the governor's veto of a bill allowing the seriously ill to use marijuana. If the House overrides the veto as well, Rhode Island would become the 11th state to permit medical marijuana use. The proposed legislation protects from prosecution those advised by a doctor that marijuana could help them with chronic pain or other medical problems. Patients licensed by the state would be permitted to have up to 12 marijuana plants or 2 1/2 ounces of usable marijuana. [continues 131 words]
PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- A bill that would allow patients with serious diseases to smoke and grow marijuana continued its advance through the General Assembly, winning overwhelming support from House lawmakers last week. Qualifying patients suffering from diseases like cancer, AIDS and Hepatitis C would be shielded from arrest and prosecution under the bill, which passed 52-10. Their doctors and physicians also would be protected. Rhode Island would become the 11th state to authorize the medical use of marijuana, according to the legislation. If approved, the bill could put the state at odds with the U.S. Supreme Court, which ruled earlier this month that medical marijuana users can be prosecuted under federal law even if their home states allow use of the drug. Under the bill, patients would be able to possess up to 12 marijuana plants or 2 1/2 ounces of usable marijuana under the legislation. [end]
PROVIDENCE, R.I. - Gov. Don Carcieri vetoed a bill Wednesday that would have made Rhode Island the 11th state to allow the medical use of marijuana. Legislators said they believed they have enough votes to override the governor. In his veto message, Carcieri said the bill is flawed and could encourage marijuana abuse. ``This bill will increase the availability of marijuana on the streets of our state,'' he said. The Republican also noted that medical marijuana use would remain illegal under federal statues. [continues 52 words]
And as the clock ticked toward a new fiscal year, the Senate also releases the state's $6.35-billion budget that was signed by Governor Carcieri. PROVIDENCE -- Working late into the night, weary lawmakers slogged on toward adjournment yesterday, battling over whether to institute new controls on prostitution and wine sales, confirming a new director of the state Department of Environmental Management and holding a Senate vote to override Governor Carcieri's veto of medical marijuana legislation. In voting 28 to 6 in favor of the override, senators rejected objections of Senate Minority Leader Dennis L. Algiere, R-Westerly, who said that while the governor supports "effective pain management techniques," marijuana is "an addictive drug" and the override would mean that "nearly anyone" in the state could grow the plant. [continues 1162 words]
Providence -- The governor on Wednesday vetoed a medical marijuana bill that enjoyed strong support in both chambers of the General Assembly. The bill would protect from prosecution seriously ill people who had a doctor's recommendation that marijuana could help them. Gov. Don Carcieri said the bill is flawed and could encourage marijuana abuse. He also said it would give Rhode Islanders a false sense of security, since medical marijuana use would remain illegal under federal statutes. Legislators believe they have the votes to override a veto. Bill supporters said while medical marijuana would still be illegal under federal law, most marijuana possession prosecutions happen under state law. [end]
PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- Republican Gov. Don Carcieri vetoed a bill Wednesday that would have made Rhode Island the 11th state to allow the medical use of marijuana. Legislators said they believed they had enough votes to override the governor. Carcieri said the bill was flawed and could encourage marijuana abuse. The bill passed 52-10 in the House and 34-2 in the Senate. An override would require votes from three-fifths of the lawmakers in each body. "The governor has shown no compassion for the people who really need it," said Rep. Thomas Slater, the bill's House sponsor. The bill would protect from prosecution seriously ill people who had a doctor's recommendation for marijuana. [end]
Boston -- Hearing that the Rhode Island legislature approved the use of medical marijuana Tuesday night, Rhonda O'Donnell sat in her Warwick, R.I., living room and giddily thought about legally sauteing the drug in some butter and putting it into a cake mix. Ms. O'Donnell, 42, who has multiple sclerosis, hopes ingesting marijuana will ease the stiffness and numbness in her legs that leave her unable to work or move without pain. "It's not going to cure me, and it's not going to let me walk normally, but hopefully it can make me a little less uncomfortable and allow me to relax a little more and enjoy life a little more," Ms. O'Donnell, whose disease was diagnosed in 1994, said in a telephone interview. [continues 743 words]
PROVIDENCE -- Saying he believes it will encourage more marijuana use, Gov. Donald Carcieri made good Wednesday on his threat to veto the medical marijuana bill. At the same time, Carcieri also struck down a bill that would have increased the state's minimum wage by just under 10 percent in two years. "This bill will make marijuana more available to children in Rhode Island," the governor said in a three-page veto message. "The amount of marijuana this bill authorizes is staggering." [continues 908 words]
Sponsors of the Medical Marijuana Legislation Say They Will Try for an Override, and Believe It Will Prevail. PROVIDENCE -- Governor Carcieri yesterday vetoed legislation to legalize the medical use of marijuana in Rhode Island, saying the proposal's "noble goals cannot mask its serious safety flaws." "Our desire as public servants to be compassionate must be balanced by our obligation to ensure public safety," he said. "The flaws inherent in this bill will place our children at an increased risk of abusing marijuana . . . [and] give our citizens a false sense of security against criminal prosecution." [continues 643 words]
The Rhode Island legislature passed a bill yesterday allowing the use of medical marijuana, three weeks after the Supreme Court ruled that federal authorities could prosecute those who use the drug for medicinal purposes, even in states with laws allowing it. The bill passed the State Senate by a vote of 33 to 1 last evening and will head to the desk of Gov. Donald L. Carcieri, who is likely to reject it. Supporters of the bill, which passed the House 52 to 10 last week, are confident they have the necessary three-fifths majority to override a veto and make Rhode Island the 11th state to authorize patients to use the drug. [continues 100 words]
PROVIDENCE - Rhode Island soon could be the 11th state to legalize the use of marijuana by people with debilitating or chronic diseases. The Senate on Tuesday voted 33-1 to send identical House and Senate medical marijuana bills to Gov. Donald L. Carcieri. Although the governor has vowed to veto the legislation, the Senate and House approved it by large enough margins to override him. Last week, the House approved the bills 51-10. The General Assembly needs a 60 percent vote to override a gubernatorial veto. [continues 372 words]
Rhode Island is poised to become the 11th state in the nation to permit the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes, with the divisive proposal expected to win final passage today and reach the governor's desk tomorrow. Governor Donald L. Carcieri has said he will probably veto the bill, but supporters say they have the votes needed to override his veto. The legislation advance at a critical juncture in the battle over the issue. Three weeks ago, the Supreme Court ruled that medicinal marijuana users can be prosecuted under federal law, even if their home states allow use of the drug. Last week, federal drug agents raided medicinal marijuana dispensaries in Northern California and arrested nearly two-dozen people. In Rhode Island, the legislative fight has been propelled by deeply personal stories. The bill is named for state Senator Rhoda Perry's nephew, who died last year from complications of AIDS and lymphoma and whose doctors had recommended marijuana to ease his nausea. On the House side, the bill's sponsor is Representative Thomas Slater, who has undergone treatment for both lung and prostate cancer. [continues 525 words]
PROVIDENCE -- Legislation that would make an abortion illegal unless the pregnant woman receives information at least 24 hours beforehand about the risks and possible alternatives passed the Senate 27-9 on Tuesday. West Warwick Sen. Stephen Alves, the bill's sponsor, said the Women's Right to Know Act, "simply provides a woman contemplating an abortion with unbiased, scientific, accurate information about an unborn child's development, the risk of abortion and the alternatives that are available within a 24-hour period to think about that information." [continues 908 words]
PROVIDENCE -- Legislation that would make an abortion illegal unless the pregnant woman receives information at least 24 hours beforehand about the risks and possible alternatives passed the Senate 27-9 on Tuesday. West Warwick Sen. Stephen Alves, the bill's sponsor, said the Women's Right to Know Act, "simply provides a woman contemplating an abortion with unbiased, scientific, accurate information about an unborn child's development, the risk of abortion and the alternatives that are available within a 24-hour period to think about that information." [continues 909 words]
Here are the highlights from news and events that took place in the General Assembly last week. For more information on any of these items visit www.rilin.state.ri.us/News. House Approves Medical Marijuana Bill The House approved legislation sponsored by Rep. Thomas C. Slater (D-Dist. 10, Providence) to allow the medicinal use of marijuana in Rhode Island. The House was also scheduled to take up the Senate version of the bill, sponsored by Sen. Rhoda E. Perry (D-Dist. 3, Providence), Friday. The Edward O. Hawkins and Thomas C. Slater Medical Marijuana Act (2005-H 6052Aaa and 2005-S 0710Aaa) would protect patients with debilitating medical conditions, and their physicians and primary caregivers from arrest and prosecution under state law if they engage in the medical use of marijuana. [end]
PROVIDENCE -- Batterers under restraining orders could lose their guns, the very sick could use marijuana, and women seeking abortions may have to wait 24 hours before undergoing the procedure. These were some of the biggest issues of the late afternoon session of the full Senate yesterday, and so far, two of the big three are headed for the desk of Governor Carcieri. The third, on abortion, under the bill called "Women's Right to Know," will go to the House, where it appears to have a shaky future. [continues 1020 words]
Inside Rhode Island
