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Marijuana legalization is \u201cinevitable\u201d in Rhode Island and bound to happen \u201csoon,\u201d House Speaker Joseph Shekarchi (D) said on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
But while he plans to continue negotiations to merge competing reform proposals over the summer with the goal of passing a bill in the fall, the top lawmaker told WPRI-TV that he wants to get the details right without rushing and he\u2019s not sure if legalization will happen before the end of 2021.<\/p>\n
As in other recent interviews<\/a>, Shekarchi said he doesn\u2019t intend to let regional pressure dictate the timeline for when Rhode Island enacts a policy change. But it is the case that legalization has now gone in effect in in surrounding states like Connecticut<\/a>\u00a0and Massachusetts.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m not in any hurry to legalize marijuana for the sake of legalizing it. I want to do it right,\u201d he said<\/a>. \u201cIt doesn\u2019t matter to me if we\u2019re the last state in the union to legalize it or we never legalize it, but I need to do it right.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI need to make sure that we do this right for the taxpayers of Rhode Island and for the medical community, the business community,\u201d he continued. \u201cThis needs to be done properly, and I\u2019m not going to be rushed into it because other states are moving fast. I want to learn from other states, look at the mistakes they\u2019ve made, look at what\u2019s worked in other states, collaborate with them and work to put out a good product.\u201d<\/p>\n \nThe Rhode Island Senate did pass a bill to legalize marijuana last month<\/a>. But that\u2019s one of three separate proposals moving through the legislature, and the speakers has said that there are a series of issues that need to be resolved before the House advances reform.<\/p>\n Social equity, licensing fees, labor agreements and home grow provisions are among the outstanding matters that need to be addressed, he said.<\/p>\n \u201cIf we can reach a consensus with the Senate and the governor\u2019s office on marijuana, we\u2019d certainly come back in the fall to address that issue,\u201d he said on Wednesday.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t see it happening before Labor Day,\u201d he added, noting that the lack of air conditioning in the State House would likely prevent the legislative session from resuming in the middle of the summer and so it\u2019s more likely it would happen in \u201clate September or early October.\u201d<\/p>\n Another main issue that\u2019s yet to be resolved is who should regulate the recreational market\u2014the state\u2019s existing Department of Business Regulation or an independent cannabis commission.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t know if there\u2019s a combination of the two\u201d that could be agreed on, Shekarchi said in a separate interview last month, adding that \u201cwe\u2019ll have to wait and see where everybody can come together.\u201d That could take place in the fall, as he\u2019s previously suggested<\/a>.<\/p>\n These latest comments come weeks after the state Senate approved a legalization bill from Senate Majority Leader Michael McCaffrey (D) and Health & Human Services Chairman Joshua Miller (D), which was introduced in March<\/a>. Gov. Dan McKee (D) also\u00a0came out with his own legalization proposal<\/a>\u00a0shortly thereafter.<\/p>\n \u2014 A third Rhode Island legalization measure\u00a0was also recently filed on the House side<\/a> by Rep. Scott Slater (D) and several cosponsors. The House Finance Committee held a hearing on the measure<\/a> last month.<\/p>\n The governor, for his part, told reporters last month that while he backs legalization it is \u201cnot like one of my highest priorities,\u201d adding that \u201cwe\u2019re not in a race with Connecticut or Massachusetts on this issue.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI think we need to get it right,\u201d he said, pointing to ongoing discussions with the House and Senate.<\/p>\n The House Finance Committee discussed the governor\u2019s proposal to end prohibition at an earlier hearing in April<\/a>.<\/p>\n Both the governor and the leaders\u2019 legalization plans are notably different than the proposal that former Gov. Gina Raimondo (D) had included in her budget last year. Prior to\u00a0leaving office to join the Biden administration<\/a>\u00a0as commerce secretary, she\u00a0called for legalization through a state-run model<\/a>.<\/p>\n McKee gave initial insights into his perspective on the reform in January, saying that \u201cit\u2019s time that [legalization] happens\u201d and that he\u2019s \u201cmore\u00a0leaning towards an entrepreneurial strategy<\/a>\u00a0there to let that roll that way.\u201d<\/p>\n Shekarchi, meanwhile, has said he\u2019s\u00a0\u201cabsolutely\u201d open to the idea of cannabis legalization<\/a>\u00a0and also leans toward privatization.<\/p>\n Late last year, the Senate Finance Committee\u00a0began preliminary consideration of legalization<\/a>\u00a0in preparation for the 2021 session, with lawmakers generally accepting the reform as an inevitability. \u201cI certainly do think we\u2019ll act on the issue, whether it\u2019s more private or more state,\u201d Sen. Ryan Pearson (D), who now serves as the panel\u2019s chairman, said at the time.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, the governor on Wednesday signed a historic bill to allow safe consumption sites<\/a> where people could use illicit drugs under medical supervision and receive resources to enter treatment. Harm reduction advocates say this would prevent overdose deaths and help de-stigmatize substance misuse. Rhode Island is the first state to allow the facilities.<\/p>\n The Senate Judiciary Committee also held a hearing in March on legislation that would\u00a0end criminal penalties for possessing small amounts of drugs<\/a>\u00a0and replace them with a $100 fine.<\/p>\n Nevada Sports Regulators Ditch Marijuana Penalties For Fighters, Days After Richardson\u2019s Olympics Suspension<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n Photo courtesy of Max Pixel<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n The post Marijuana Legalization Is \u2018Inevitable\u2019 In Rhode Island And Could Happen This Fall, Top Lawmaker Says<\/a> appeared first on Marijuana Moment<\/a>.<\/p>\n
Marijuana legalization is \u201cinevitable\u201d in Rhode Island and bound to happen \u201csoon,\u201d House Speaker Joseph Shekarchi (D) said on Wednesday. But while he plans to continue negotiations to merge competing reform proposals over the summer with the goal of passing a bill in the fall, the top lawmaker told WPRI-TVContinue Reading<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":458,"featured_media":48738,"comment_status":"false","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[18,1,126],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48737"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/458"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=48737"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48737\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":48739,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48737\/revisions\/48739"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/48738"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=48737"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=48737"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=48737"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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\nRead More: Marijuana Legalization Is \u2018Inevitable\u2019 In Rhode Island And Could Happen This Fall, Top Lawmaker Says<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"