Deprecated: Function get_magic_quotes_gpc() is deprecated in /hermes/bosnacweb08/bosnacweb08bf/b1577/ipg.rifuturecom/RIFutureNew/wp-includes/load.php on line 651
Notice: Trying to access array offset on value of type bool in /hermes/bosnacweb08/bosnacweb08bf/b1577/ipg.rifuturecom/RIFutureNew/wp-includes/theme.php on line 2241
Deprecated: Function get_magic_quotes_gpc() is deprecated in /hermes/bosnacweb08/bosnacweb08bf/b1577/ipg.rifuturecom/RIFutureNew/wp-includes/formatting.php on line 4387
Deprecated: Function get_magic_quotes_gpc() is deprecated in /hermes/bosnacweb08/bosnacweb08bf/b1577/ipg.rifuturecom/RIFutureNew/wp-includes/formatting.php on line 4387 Marijuana – Page 2 – RI Future Deprecated: Function get_magic_quotes_gpc() is deprecated in /hermes/bosnacweb08/bosnacweb08bf/b1577/ipg.rifuturecom/RIFutureNew/wp-includes/formatting.php on line 4387
Deprecated: Function get_magic_quotes_gpc() is deprecated in /hermes/bosnacweb08/bosnacweb08bf/b1577/ipg.rifuturecom/RIFutureNew/wp-includes/formatting.php on line 4387
Deprecated: Function get_magic_quotes_gpc() is deprecated in /hermes/bosnacweb08/bosnacweb08bf/b1577/ipg.rifuturecom/RIFutureNew/wp-includes/formatting.php on line 4387
Deprecated: Function get_magic_quotes_gpc() is deprecated in /hermes/bosnacweb08/bosnacweb08bf/b1577/ipg.rifuturecom/RIFutureNew/wp-includes/formatting.php on line 4387
Deprecated: Function get_magic_quotes_gpc() is deprecated in /hermes/bosnacweb08/bosnacweb08bf/b1577/ipg.rifuturecom/RIFutureNew/wp-includes/formatting.php on line 4387
Deprecated: Function get_magic_quotes_gpc() is deprecated in /hermes/bosnacweb08/bosnacweb08bf/b1577/ipg.rifuturecom/RIFutureNew/wp-includes/formatting.php on line 4387
Deprecated: Function get_magic_quotes_gpc() is deprecated in /hermes/bosnacweb08/bosnacweb08bf/b1577/ipg.rifuturecom/RIFutureNew/wp-includes/formatting.php on line 4387
Deprecated: Function get_magic_quotes_gpc() is deprecated in /hermes/bosnacweb08/bosnacweb08bf/b1577/ipg.rifuturecom/RIFutureNew/wp-includes/formatting.php on line 4387
Deprecated: Function get_magic_quotes_gpc() is deprecated in /hermes/bosnacweb08/bosnacweb08bf/b1577/ipg.rifuturecom/RIFutureNew/wp-includes/formatting.php on line 4387
Deprecated: Function get_magic_quotes_gpc() is deprecated in /hermes/bosnacweb08/bosnacweb08bf/b1577/ipg.rifuturecom/RIFutureNew/wp-includes/formatting.php on line 4387
No other state has more per capita regular marijuana users than Rhode Island, according to a new federal National Survey on Drug Use and Health study on drug use by state. Here’s the raw data (collected in 2012-2013), and here are the top 10 states for monthly marijuana users who are over 18 years of age.
The District of Columbia had the most annual marijuana users, but Rhode Island still finished second.
Vermont has the most annual pot users among the coveted 18-25 year old demographic, but Rhode Island was again second.
But when it comes to monthly pot users 18 to 25 years old, the Ocean State comes out on top once again.
Rhode Island also has the highest percentage of teens (12-17) who use marijuana monthly and annually, according to the survey.
Deprecated: Function get_magic_quotes_gpc() is deprecated in /hermes/bosnacweb08/bosnacweb08bf/b1577/ipg.rifuturecom/RIFutureNew/wp-includes/formatting.php on line 4387
“There are more African-American men in prison, jail, on probation or parole than were enslaved in 1850,” said Diego Arene-Morley, President of Brown University Students for Sensible Drug Policy. “That’s a statistic that you don’t really ever forget.”
He added, “The federal prison population since 1980 has grown 721% thanks to Reagan’s vision for a war on drugs.”
Arene-Morley was acting as the emcee at a forum on Regulating Marijuana in Rhode Island. It featured two panels of experts and advocates addressing a crowd of over 120 people. With nearly two hours of experts discussing policy and outlining possible courses towards the regulation of sales of marijuana, it was a night jam packed with information.
Representative Scott Slater (D-Prov) spoke about his involvement in passing a law to regulate the recreational use of marijuana as a continuation of the work his father, former Representative Thomas Slater, who was instrumental in passing the laws that allowed for the medical use of marijuana in our state.
Dr. David C. Lewis, MD, founder of Brown University’s Center for Alcohol and Addiction Studies, gave a short history of drug prohibition laws. He says such laws have always been racist in origin. That’s not to say that there are no dangers in using marijuana. Dr. Lewis maintains that we must balance an understanding of civil liberties with an understanding of the medical information.
Jim Vincent, president of NAACP Providence Branch pointed out that it’s not just communities of color, but all communities that are impacted by these drug laws. Money dedicated to the war on drugs is money not used in our schools or for other public goods. Vincent mentioned the book The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander (see the suggested reading list below) as being an excellent guide to the cost of such policies on our society.
Elizabeth A. Comery, JD, retired attorney, former Providence police officer and member of LEAP, (Law Enforcement Against Prohibition) recalled her days as a police officer in Providence. She joined the force in 1976, and said, “I went on because I really wanted to serve and protect. It may sound naive given what’s happening now but we have to get back to that.”
Comery knows police officers who are “consumed with guilt and regret” over their actions during the drug war. The police routinely targeted communities of color in their drug raids, and their war on drugs almost never penetrated into white or economically advantaged communities. Meanwhile, the clearance rates on homicides has plunged. In Providence, only 43% of homicides have been cleared since 2000.
Mason Tvert, Director of Communications at Marijuana Policy Project and co-director of the 2012 Amendment 64 campaign in Colorado, was asked about the approach most Rhode Island state legislators seem to be taking towards the issue, which is to “wait and see” what happens in Colorado in the wake of regulation there. Tvert compared those legislators to people who find out that they have cancer and wait to see how a friend’s treatment goes before deciding on a course of action for themselves. In adopting this attitude legislators are dodging the question and destroying lives.
Tvert also talked about the jobs marijuana regulation has brought to Colorado. In addition to 18,000 badged employees licensed by the state, there are uncounted thousands of spillover jobs in terms of construction and attendant industries. Tvert feels that responsible regulation that mandates living wages and health care for employees, among other benefits, could mitigate the effects of “Big Marijuana” in the event of nationwide regulation and federal acceptance.
Michelle McKenzie, MPH, public health researcher and advocate for people in recovery from substance dependence, who was part of the second panel, said, “Our society has tasked the criminal justice system with a task it just cannot do. We desperately need drug policy reform.”
Pat Oglesby, JD, MBA, former Chief Tax Counsel, US Senate Finance Committee would prefer that the regulation of marijuana be done under a state monopoly, but he was assured by Senator Josh Miller that such an idea is politically impossible at the Rhode Island State House. Oglesby thinks the taxation of marijuana should be on volume, not cost, as this reduces the chance of losing revenue as market competition drives down the price of marijuana in the future.
As to the possibility of passing marijuana regulation legislation in the near term, Senator Josh Miller is hopeful. Though by Senator Miller’s estimation the majority of State Senators privately believe that regulation is the best answer, most will not publicly endorse the idea for political reasons. Miller only got 13 Senators to publicly support the measure last year.
Miller isn’t all that interested in the financial implications in ending the war on marijuana. “There’s a culture of violence around drug use,” says Miller, “I’m interested in saving lives.” Regulation means that a person purchasing marijuana will be dealing with licensed businessmen, not criminals. Criminals bring access to weapons and harder drugs.
“The gateway,” says Miller, “is the drug dealer, not the drug.”
Dr. Lewis joked that this being Brown University, he couldn’t let the audience go without giving them a reading assignment. He recommended the following:
Deprecated: Function get_magic_quotes_gpc() is deprecated in /hermes/bosnacweb08/bosnacweb08bf/b1577/ipg.rifuturecom/RIFutureNew/wp-includes/formatting.php on line 4387
Does the success of the ballot measures mean Rhode Islanders don’t believe in austerity? Can libertarians and progressives work together to make Rhode Island the first east coast state to legalize marijuana? Will the new crop of Democrats be much different from the old bosses?
NBC10’s Bill Rappleye and the GOP’s Rob Paquin and I discuss here:
Deprecated: Function get_magic_quotes_gpc() is deprecated in /hermes/bosnacweb08/bosnacweb08bf/b1577/ipg.rifuturecom/RIFutureNew/wp-includes/formatting.php on line 4387
Allan Fung is the only candidate for governor in Rhode Island who openly opposes legalizing pot, and Angel Taveras is the “is the least open to marijuana regulation” among Democratic candidates, according to the Marijuana Policy Project.
The national group that lobbies states to legalize, tax and regulate marijuana sent an email to supporters today with its assessment of where the gubernatorial candidates stand on cannabis policy.
“Next year, the legislature will continue discussing whether Rhode Island should replace marijuana prohibition with sensible regulations, so it is important to know how the candidates for governor view the issue,” said the email.
MPP has lobbied hard in Rhode Island in recent years as many believe the Ocean State could be the first state east of the Mississippi to legalize marijuana, and some speculate RI could become the third overall state after Colorado and Washington, though there are voter referendums to legalize in Oregon and Alaska this year.
Here’s MPP’s assessment of the Democratic primary:
Democratic primary gubernatorial candidates: When asked in March, all three major candidates — Gina Raimondo, Angel Taveras, and Clay Pell — indicated that they are monitoring the effects of regulation and taxation in Colorado and Washington. However, all indications are that Taveras is the least open to marijuana regulation — he stated that he is “not currently supportive of legalization.” This is not too surprising considering Taveras has received public support from prominent marijuana prohibitionist and former Congressman Patrick Kennedy.
And the Republican field:
Republican primary gubernatorial candidates:On the Republican side of the coin, Ken Block has said he will withhold judgment until he can “see the results in Colorado and Washington.” His opponent, Allan Fung, not only opposes “the legalization of marijuana for recreational use,” but also makes no mention of even being interested in results from Colorado and Washington.
Deprecated: Function get_magic_quotes_gpc() is deprecated in /hermes/bosnacweb08/bosnacweb08bf/b1577/ipg.rifuturecom/RIFutureNew/wp-includes/formatting.php on line 4387
It is impossible to understand the child refugee crisis at our southern border without understanding how the US–led war on drugs has destabilized, militarized, and corrupted Latin America.
For decades, the United States has provided weapons, combat training, and billions of dollars to governments, paramilitary troops, and even cartels themselves under the guise of protecting us from illegal drugs. Not only has that approach totally failed — after all, illegal drugs today are cheap, widely accessible, and more potent than ever before — but it has destabilized entire countries and created one of the most serious human rights crises of modern times. It may be difficult for us to admit, but we have a moral imperative to acknowledge our central role in creating and sustaining this destructive drug war that has forced tens of thousands of children leave their parents and flee their homes.
Just on the face of it, it is clear that the drug war has been massively counterproductive. Despite pouring more than a trillion dollars into the war on drugs over several decades, the United States leads the world in illegal drug consumption. The sale of illegal drugs to American consumers makes up the vast majority of cartels’ income and directly fuels the violence in Latin America. As with alcohol prohibition, our attempt to eradicate drug use by waging a war on the suppliers and producers has only created more corruption and bloodshed.
Instead of addressing the demand side of the equation — as we have done successfully with tobacco and other drugs — we have created a firestorm of violence in an attempt to eradicate the supply of illegal drugs in countries that produce them. Providing weapons and money to Latin American countries, our government has further escalated the destabilizing violence. We have used our imperial power to convince our neighbors to expand their military and police forces and mobilize them against the cartels. Fighting fire with fire has only turned millions of innocent bystanders into victims.
No other part of the world has felt the wrath of the drug war as severely as Latin America. Colombia is home to the world’s largest internal refugee population; Mexico saw more than 60,000 drug war related killings from 2006 to 2012; and Honduras has become the murder capital of the world. It comes as no surprise that some of the most outspoken leaders against the drug war are current and former Latin American presidents, including José Mujica of Uruguay, Fernando Henrique Cardoso of Brazil, César Gaviria of Colombia, and Ernesto Zedillo of Mexico.
Though responsible for the lion’s share of illegal drug use in the US, mainstream white America has for the most part managed to insulate itself from the destructive human costs of the drug war. Enforcement of our drug laws here at home has been focused on poor, urban, minority communities. For decades, guns and money have gone south while drugs have come north, eventually reaching the affluent suburbs, but leaving a trail of destruction in their wake. This arrangement has allowed us to export most of the violence and corruption to our inner cities and neighboring countries.
The new attention given to the child refugees at our border, however, provides an opportunity for us as a country to reflect on the damage we have inflicted on millions of children and families with our failed war on drugs. Imagine what it must take for a mother to decide that the best chances for her children’s survival is to send them through a barren desert accompanied by armed coyotes. The drug war has created such an environment of corruption, chaos, and indiscriminate violence that parents feel they have no other choice.
The child refugees at our border are fleeing a hell that we in the United States helped create. While many are quick to blame the victims, there is no denying that there is blood on our hands. We are fueling a war in our back yard in a futile attempt to kick our own drug habit. It’s time for us to break the taboo and begin seriously considering alternative drug control strategies. We must demand that our political leaders end the futile and destructive war on drugs immediately. The lives of children at home and abroad depend on it.
Rebecca McGoldrick is the Executive Director of Protect Families First, an organization working to end the war on drugs.
Deprecated: Function get_magic_quotes_gpc() is deprecated in /hermes/bosnacweb08/bosnacweb08bf/b1577/ipg.rifuturecom/RIFutureNew/wp-includes/formatting.php on line 4387
As a candidate for Congress, I am concerned with the way marijuana has been used to incarcerate and detain people from mostly low income and minority backgrounds. While I support federal regulation of marijuana, I can settle for what is known as the Respect States’ and Citizens’ Rights Act.
Congressman David Cicilline’s ambivalence on marijuana regulation is concerning. In 2012, Congressman Cicilline supported regulation of marijuana “so long as you have those kind of protections [similar to alcohol], you should treat it the same.” However, in a recent interview with Tim White on Newsmakers (12:20), Congressman Cicilline said he is “very conflicted” and is “still studying this.” Congressman Cicilline seems either incredibly inconsistent or breathtakingly insincere about regulating marijuana at the federal level.
Our beliefs and laws are incrementally progressing, but not far enough. My former White House employer, President Barack Obama, acknowledged marijuana is “no more dangerous than alcohol.” Attorney General Eric Holder stated the focus will be on the criminal element of marijuana – though that is hard to define. Despite all of this and its regulation in both Washington and Colorado, marijuana is still a controlled substance. At the federal level, someone can be prosecuted even if it is regulated in the respective state. I want to revise this policy, but not if Republicans get there way.
The Republicans could undermine this in two ways: first, a Republican president enforce more stringent marijuana prohibition again and second, the Republicans in Congress could pass the Enforce the Law Act. This act would give Congress the power to sue the President to enforce marijuana prohibition. We need to work together to fight for reasonable laws.
The cost of federal marijuana prohibition is high. The US has approximately 2.3 million people behind bars or 25% of the world’s prisoners. These prisoners cost taxpayers at the federal, state, and local level $68 billion annually. This is just the quantifiable cost.
While solving little or nothing, marijuana prohibition rips families apart, destroys individuals’ lives, and causes perennial suffering. According to FBI statistics, of all arrests involving drug abuse violations, roughly 43.3% are people who are arrested for mere possession. Yet, even with these arrests, according to the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse, 34% of teens say it is easier to obtain marijuana than alcohol or tobacco.
While I still favor federal decriminalization and even regulation, I support what is known as the Respect States’ and Citizens’ Rights Act as a reasonable middle ground. The Respect States’ and Citizens Rights Act does not decriminalize marijuana per se. Instead, it provides states with the legislative leeway to develop their own laws to regulate marijuana so long as state government regulation does ensue. It predominantly becomes a state issue instead of a federal issue. Congressman Cicilline should be implored to cosponsor and promote this very reasonable piece of legislation or be held accountable on September 9th 2014.
I support the Respect States’ and Citizens’ Rights Act because for far too long, people have been thrown in jail for infractions that hurt few and cause limited, if any, collateral damage to society at large. From my stand point, this incremental act does not go far enough, but as they say, ‘perfect is the enemy of good enough.’
Deprecated: Function get_magic_quotes_gpc() is deprecated in /hermes/bosnacweb08/bosnacweb08bf/b1577/ipg.rifuturecom/RIFutureNew/wp-includes/formatting.php on line 4387
Beth Comery is a former Providence police officer who has become an advocate for taxing and regulating marijuana in her retirement.
There is little doubt that that Rhode Island will one day regulate marijuana like alcohol. The political winds are just too strong. The nation supports it. And we are a solid blue state. Even among the few Republicans, Ron Paul scored better here than he did in all but two other primaries. The real question for marijuana reform is not if but when.
Sadly, it looks like the tax and regulate bill will not move this legislative session.
One of the most common arguments I have heard for delaying a move to sensible marijuana regulation is that we need to wait to see how decriminalization gets implemented here in Rhode Island and to see how legalization works out in Washington and Colorado. I find that attitude shortsighted and slightly heartless.
The crises caused by the drug war are very real and very immediate. While decriminalization is a sensible step that eases the pain, it does little to alleviate the damage done by the black market. Under decriminalization, we continue to subsidize the largest organized crime operation on the planet, the Mexican drug cartels. We may not consider the slaughter south of the border to be a major concern, but I assure you, few things matter more to the people of Mexico. And if we ever hope to secure our borders, we cannot continue to subsidize the gangs that make our southern border such a lawless place.
The effects are felt at home as well. Marijuana money fuels gang violence on our streets, too. It still absorbs severely limited police resources. And most importantly, marijuana continues to be used without any regulation whatsoever.
This means there are no controls on purity or additives. I have had many friends who have inadvertently and unwillingly ingested cocaine, tobacco, and other dangerous drugs because they were secretly mixed with marijuana.
This means there is no labeling of potency. Marijuana users have relatively little idea how large the dose they are ingesting is, making safe and responsible use much more difficult.
This means there is no restriction on youth access. Drug dealers do not card their clients.
Most of the many sensible regulations in this bill would be impossible without a legal framework to operate under.
A second reason not to delay moving to a regulated marijuana regime is economic. Many of the jobs in the East Coast marijuana industry will be located in the first state that allows those jobs in. If we are the first adopters, we will maintain an advantage in this industry for decades. And I hardly need to tell you how desperately we need jobs. It does not help to delay them.
Nor do I need to tell you how urgently the revenue in this bill is needed to address the fiscal problems plaguing our state.
We must act now to end the black market. We must act now to create jobs. We must act now to help mend our fiscal mess. For once, Rhode Island should take the lead on something good.
Deprecated: Function get_magic_quotes_gpc() is deprecated in /hermes/bosnacweb08/bosnacweb08bf/b1577/ipg.rifuturecom/RIFutureNew/wp-includes/formatting.php on line 4387
Beth Comery is a former Providence police officer who has become an advocate for taxing and regulating marijuana in her retirement.
Bipartisan support can be hard to come by in modern politics. Not for legalizing marijuana in Rhode Island though, which activists say enjoys “tripartisan support.”
Regulate RI says Democratic, Republican and Libertarian party leaders will all speak today (3pm) at the State House rotunda to call on the legislature to make Rhode Island the third state in the nation to legalize marijuana.
The Republican in the group is Providence mayoral candidate Dan Harrop, who is also chairman of the divisive right wing think tank RI Center for Freedom and Prosperity. Their policy director, Justin Katz, is opposed. Like marriage equality, legalizing marijuana enjoys more popularity among the Republicans than with Democratic leadership. House Minority Leader Brian Newberry is a co-sponsor of the so-called tax and regulate bill.
The Libertarians include Mike Rollins, chairman of the local Libertarian Party and Richard Ford, chairman of the Republican Liberty Caucus. Democrats include from Edith Ajello, the progressive East Side state representative who sponsored the bill, Pat Smith, a Barrington resident who is very active with the RI Progressive Democrats, and Kristina Fox, former president of the Young Democrats of RI who now works for Providence mayoral hopeful Jorge Elorza. Click here to listen to more Democrats (Gov Chafee, Rep Frank Ferri and Senator Josh Miller) talk about legalization.
Deprecated: Function get_magic_quotes_gpc() is deprecated in /hermes/bosnacweb08/bosnacweb08bf/b1577/ipg.rifuturecom/RIFutureNew/wp-includes/formatting.php on line 4387
Please don’t smoke this man’s pants. He will be angry, and you will not think it’s funny because you won’t be high. Photo: The Hempest
When the RI General Assembly passed a law prohibiting smoking in public places, it made our restaurants and bars healthier places for their patrons and employees. Sure was a step in the right direction, but what was not a widely publicized fact after the law passed was that the following year, organizations like Save the Bay and Keep America Beautiful noticed a distinct uptick in the amount of cigarette butts cleaned up from our beaches and waterways. As it happens, when you make people smoke outside, they tend to throw their cigarette butts on the ground.
Anyone with a basic understanding of, well, life in general, is familiar with unintended consequences. They are the unforeseen hiccups and downright disasters that accompany all decisions made. Most of the time, they are quite bad, but sometimes they can be good. The law of unintended consequences certainly rears it’s head when laws get passed without adequate scrutiny, but there is a very serious positive aspect to legalizing, taxing, and regulating marijuana use that no one has mentioned in the debate.
This law could help Rhode Island’s farming community. I’m not suggesting that all of Rhode Island’s farmers start growing high-grade Wacky Tobaccy; what I am suggesting is that this law opens the door for industrial hemp production.
What if RI’s farmers could legally plant, as a cover crop or for use in crop rotation and soil remediation, a plant that grows tall and quickly – which prevents the need for herbicides – and that has an abundance of uses and high market value? How about a plant that can break disease cycles and blights in other plants? I’d imagine that most farmers would jump at the chance.
Imagine the potential economic impacts to our all-but-dead manufacturing sector if we could provide a local, sustainable raw material for use in creating ultra-durable cloths and yarns. Industrial hemp is a fast growing plant whose oil can be used in biofuel production and as a feedstock for plastics. It is well known that acre-for-acre, industrial hemp vastly outperforms timber in paper production.
Hemp has a place in the building trades as well. It’s fibers can be used to make insulation, pressed into fiberboard, and even used as an additive in concrete to make it lighter, stronger, and lessen the environmental impact of concrete production.
The only thing stopping industrial hemp production in the United States is the fact that drug laws make no distinction between won’t-get-you-high-but-has-a-bajillion-other-benefits hemp, and the other I’m-not-as-think-as-you-stoned-I am strains of the cannabis plant. I think it’s time to make that distinction.
Throwing hemp into the same drug schedule as its more potent cousins is like saying there is no difference between a bottle of water and a fine Belgian tripel. One of them is extremely useful, can be consumed, and won’t degrade your faculties. The other has been known to throw even the most seasoned beer drinker for a loop after just one glass. The beer nerd in me finds this insulting.
(Note: As per federal law, it is currently LEGAL to grow industrial hemp in the U.S. You just need a permit from the DEA. Good luck with that.)
Deprecated: Function get_magic_quotes_gpc() is deprecated in /hermes/bosnacweb08/bosnacweb08bf/b1577/ipg.rifuturecom/RIFutureNew/wp-includes/formatting.php on line 4387
Penalties against drug use should not be more damaging to an individual than use of the drug itself. Nowhere is this more clear than in the laws against possession of marijuana in private for personal use.
– Jimmy Carter, Aug. 2, 1977
Marijuana laws in Rhode Island are in drastic need of reform. For more than 30 years, the federal government has impeded the development of all aspects of the cannabis industry, not only denying basic human rights regarding consumption, but also prohibiting medical research and disallowing industrial hemp use from competing in the market. But after an August 2013 Justice Department memorandum, states have the green light to enforce drug policy of their choice. This is a momentous step for both personal freedoms and common sense. Not only does the war on pot hurt individuals, it also takes out needed tax revenue that Rhode Island coffers can ill afford to lose.
Even our president recognizes the flaws in U.S. drug policy. Cannabis use has been scientifically proven to be less dangerous than the legal drugs in our society, such as alcohol, tobacco and prescription painkillers. President Obama has recently advocated the continued decriminalization of marijuana use by state legislatures, saying, “I view it as a bad habit and a vice, not very different from the cigarettes that I smoke … I don’t think it is more dangerous than alcohol.”
I agree with our president on the issue of decriminalization, but you just cannot try to compare alcohol abuse to cannabis “abuse.” (I use quotations because I smoke liberally all day, every day, and I have yet to develop the mental and moral inadequacies that accompany the stigma of a stoner. But I digress.) How many deaths does cannabis cause a year? None, in its entire history of use, thus making it less toxic than penicillin or ibuprofen. (Ibuprofen is part of a class of drugs called NSAID’s, these drugs accounts for an estimated 7,600 deaths and 76,000 hospitalizations).
Marijuana also has a plethora of widely accepted medical benefits ranging from assisting veterans with chronic post traumatic stress disorder (Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies, 2013) to anti-seizure properties (according to Ben Whalley of the University of Reading in Britain) to anti-carcinogenic properties (as documented by Complutense University, in Spain, in 2009).
Unfortunately, rather than let individuals grow a natural herb to remedy their malady, deadly painkillers such as Oxycodone and Hydromorphone are prescribed daily. We know these drugs cause crippling addiction and withdrawal. We also know that long-term use is extremely harmful.
You might not be persuaded by the universal right to consume what you wish. Fine. You might not be persuaded by its decades of widely supported medical benefits. Odd, but still fine. One thing every American must bow to is the almighty dollar.
Recently, the state of Colorado fully legalized the sale of cannabis for personal use. The sales exceeded $5 million in the first week alone. Rhode Island taxes $3.50 on every pack of cigarettes, approximately one-third of total cost. At a similar tax rate, the state of Colorado could have brought in $1.7 million.
In January, Colorado took in $2 million in marijuana tax revenue. Why deny Rhode Island this huge economic bonus? Especially when Gov. Lincoln Chafee said he was open to discussion, even tossing in the pun “pot for pot holes.”
If the state’s new House speaker, Nicholas Mattiello, is as dedicated to creating a more stable and productive economy as he says he is, there should be no question about whether to regulate America’s next big cash crop. Rather, we should focus on how to do it.
The benefits do not end with direct taxation. Being the first state on the East Coast to allow industrial hemp, along with medical and recreational sales, would result in a massive regional advantage in cannabis production and processing. We could have Netherlands-style coffee houses, cannabis culture gift shops and a wonderful export product for neighbor states.
On top of the reduction in administrative strain, regulation would reduce law-enforcement costs by decreasing time and funds spent pursuing, housing and feeding non-violent marijuana offenders. The birth of a new industry would create a plethora of jobs, ranging from chemical engineering to retail. This new industry would also need raw goods, shipping and other complementary industries and therefore help the entire Rhode Island economy get out of its slump.
A well-crafted bill concerning cannabis regulation, with ample room for oversight and adjustment, is the key to reviving our struggling economy.
Corey Agin, an East Providence High School graduate, is executive director of the Rhode Island chapter of the National Organization to Reform Marijuana Laws. He is studying political science at the Community College of Rhode Island.
Deprecated: Function get_magic_quotes_gpc() is deprecated in /hermes/bosnacweb08/bosnacweb08bf/b1577/ipg.rifuturecom/RIFutureNew/wp-includes/formatting.php on line 4387
Legalizing marijuana in Rhode Island would generate $21.5 to $82 million in new tax revenue, according to a new report from OpenDoorsRI a group that works with formerly incarcerated people in Rhode Island.
“Resulting taxes would generate $7.6 to $21 million for alcohol and drug abuse treatment and education, $10.5 to $50 million for the general fund, and $1.9 to $5.2 million for medical marijuana research,” according to a press release with the new report.
The two estimates are based on current marijuana use which is difficult to monitor accurately because it is unregulated. The report assumes .55 percent of American pot users live in Rhode Island* and use between 1 and 3 grams of marijuana weekly and pay $292 to $375 an ounce.
The report says Rhode Islanders who grow their own pot will not be taxed, according to the current bills before the General Assembly.
The new report indicates cost savings on criminal prosecutions would be less dramatic, estimating a savings of about $100,000. “While the collective financial savings are not huge, this legislation will free up important bed space, police time, and prosecution and judiciary time that is currently spent prosecuting these cases every year,” it says.
Far greater are what the report calls the “human costs” of keeping marijuana illegal. It uses the real-life story of Providence native Josh Giorgi, who was arrested for selling pot while a student at URI in 2006.
Josh Giorgi was a freshman at University of Rhode Island studying wildlife conservation when he was arrested for marijuana delivery in an undercover operation in 2006. The sting resulted in the arrests of nine individuals for drug delivery charges, but Giorgi was one of only two that ended up with a prison sentence. Giorgi served 13 months in prison in both the training school and the Adult Correctional Institute for the charges, and he will be on probation until he is 28. Giorgi, a Federal Hill native, says he was dealing marijuana on a small scale to help pay his tuition. He was never arrested for anything else prior to or since that conviction.
After release, he says he applied to jobs and apprenticeships everywhere but most places would not take him because of his record. He started working in a local grocery store that did not do background checks. He continued to work hard and find more skilled employment, and for the last three and a half years, he has worked for an international manufacturing company with offices in Rhode Island, working his way up to logistic coordinator. He owns a house and is now a father.
Despite his hard work and success, he says that because of that one mistake, he was treated like a serious criminal, and he continues to pay a heavy price. He was unable to re-enroll in school and was never able to complete college. Though he hopes to return at some point, his felony record continues to present obstacles.
“I made a mistake, but I am not a criminal,” he says. “I do not want to see anyone else’s life ruined like mine was for selling marijuana, but as long as people use marijuana, they will buy it from someone. So someone will keep going to prison until people that want it have a legal way to buy it.”
*Corrected. An earlier version of this post said .55% of RIers use pot. Jared Moffat of Regulate RI said about 13 percent of Rhode Islanders use marijuana.
Deprecated: Function get_magic_quotes_gpc() is deprecated in /hermes/bosnacweb08/bosnacweb08bf/b1577/ipg.rifuturecom/RIFutureNew/wp-includes/formatting.php on line 4387
Two of the Democrats running for governor are taking a wait-and-see what-happens-elsewhere approach to legalizing marijuana in Rhode Island.
In an email to RI Future today, Providence Mayor Angel Taveras said, “I am not currently supportive of legalization. I think we need to wait and see what impact such a large change has on states like Colorado and Washington.” He pointed out that he did support last years’ successful effort to decriminalize marijuana, he said, “because it allows us to better focus police resources.”
Somewhat similarly, Clay Pell told WPRI Newsmakers in January, “I think that we need to take a look at what’s happening in Colorado and wait and see what’s happening in Washington. I don’t support taking any particular action at this time.”
Tim White pressed him a bit: “But right now that’s not a straight no. It sounds like you’re leaving the door open a little bit.?”
And Pell responded, “Look, I want the econ of Rhode Island to grow. I’m not sure if that is the place to begin. I’m happy to see what happens in Washington and Colorado…”
Deprecated: Function get_magic_quotes_gpc() is deprecated in /hermes/bosnacweb08/bosnacweb08bf/b1577/ipg.rifuturecom/RIFutureNew/wp-includes/formatting.php on line 4387
The Providence Journal op/ed page ran two opposing letters to the editor this morning regarding marijuana legalization but only identified one writer as an advocate with a special interest – even though the unidentified writer is paid through a federal grant to advocate specifically against marijuana.
In one letter, Jim Vincent was well labeled as being the executive director of the Providence branch of the NAACP in which he wrote, “Marijuana prohibition has not prevented use or abuse. More disturbingly, enforcement has disproportionately focused on low income and minority communities.”
Perugrini’s public Facebook profile lists her as being a “project coordinator” for The Bay Team. A Barrington Patch article from 2012 says she was hired specifically to campaign against marijuana. According to the article: “Meet Debby Perugini — Barrington’s new anti-marijuana use project coordinator. Perugini joined the staff of The BAY Team – the town’s substance abuse prevention coalition — on Monday, Jan. 9.”
The letters seem intended to run in tandem: both were initially published online on Feb. 24 and both were published in print today. It’s unclear whether Perugini failed to identify herself as an advocate or if the ProJo op/ed page made an editorial decision to not label her as such. (I’ve reached out to both parties and will update this post if and when I hear back from them.)
In general, Perugini is entitled to express her opinions. In her letter, she claims that one of the medical marijuana centers was “recently advertising marijuana for non-medical use” which would be a crime. If this isn’t true (and I don’t think it is) it could be libel and she’s not entitled to express libelous opinions. Neither is the Providence Journal, for that matter. But she and the ProJo op/ed page are certainly entitled to make vague references to tobacco industry lies and insinuate that taxing and regulating marijuana will cause more people to buy it illegally.
But Rhode Islanders are entitled to know who is expressing these opinions and why – especially given that, according to the Patch article, Perugini is being funded by federal taxes for her efforts. It says:
“Perugini will be paid out of a federal block grant to the state department of behavioral healthcare, development disabilities and hospitals. The annual award is $75,000 for the next three to five years. Barrington is one of eight towns to get this money for substance abuse-prevention, primarily because Rhode Island ranks first in its marijuana use, especially in the 12-17 and 18-25 age groups.”
So a Barrington mom is getting federal tax dollars to write inflammatory and reactionary letters to the editor on an issue the Providence NAACP says is unfairly affecting poor and minority inner city residents. And the Providence Journal op/ed page is labeling one as a special interest but not the other.
Welcome to how the war on drugs works. Or the New Jim Crow. It all depends on whether your a parent from Barrington trying to shield teens from marijuana or an inner city advocate fighting against latent racism.
Deprecated: Function get_magic_quotes_gpc() is deprecated in /hermes/bosnacweb08/bosnacweb08bf/b1577/ipg.rifuturecom/RIFutureNew/wp-includes/formatting.php on line 4387
“I look at it through the prism of social justice,” he said. “How much money we can make, that’s not my issue or my concern. My focus is solely on the disparities in terms of the arrest rates. ”
Vincent said a recent NAACP study shows that African Americans are arrested at 2.5 times the rate that white people are for marijuana offenses. The press release from the New England NAACP said nationally black people are arrested at 3.5 times the rate of white people on pot charges.
Deprecated: Function get_magic_quotes_gpc() is deprecated in /hermes/bosnacweb08/bosnacweb08bf/b1577/ipg.rifuturecom/RIFutureNew/wp-includes/formatting.php on line 4387
Earlier this year Governor Linc Chafee told RI Future that he wanted to wait to see “what other states do” before he considers helping Rhode Island become just the third state in the nation to legalize marijuana. But after a high profile conversation with Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper at the National Governors Conference this weekend he seems to be re-evaluating his options.
“The legislation to legalize marijuana is currently winding its way through the General Assembly,” said spokeswoman Faye Zuckerman. “If it were to reach his desk, the Governor would evaluate it at that time.”
Colorado’s numbers “opened a lot of eyes,” Rhode Island Gov. Lincoln D. Chaffee, an independent, said in an interview. He said Colorado’s fiscal forecast fostered a discussion about whether to “regulate it and tax it in these tough times.”
Chaffee, who previously served as a Republican U.S. senator, said the ill effects of the long-running fight against drugs should hasten discussion about new approaches worldwide. He said legalization measures have been proposed in Rhode Island and didn’t rule out signing one.
“We’ll see how these bills come out of the legislature,” he said.
Deprecated: Function get_magic_quotes_gpc() is deprecated in /hermes/bosnacweb08/bosnacweb08bf/b1577/ipg.rifuturecom/RIFutureNew/wp-includes/formatting.php on line 4387
Colorado expects to make $133 million in new revenue this year because of legalized marijuana. This is twice what the state anticipated when it became, along with Washington, the first state in the nation to tax and regulate the giant underground pot economy. Between legal and medicinal marijuana, Colorado expects more than $800 million in sales alone this year.
For comparison, Rhode Island faces a similar-sized budget deficit this year ($149 million) as Colorado expects to reap in new revenue, and the state legislature here is considering legislation that would make us the third state to profit from pot. Rep. Edith Ajello and Senator Josh Miller are sponsoring the bill and they wrote an op/ed about why here.
News of how the marijuana industry is proving to have a very positive effect on Colorado’s economy is starting to sweep the nation. Earlier this week, the Associated Press reported on a 5-year-old who stopped having hundreds of seizures a week when she experimented with a tincture made from marijuana plants grown specifically to prevent seizures.
From the AP, which says the science is still unproven but “more than 100 families have relocated” to Colorado to try the special strand of marijuana grown to accentuate the chemical naturally found in the plant that reduces seizures:
The doctors were out of ideas to help 5-year-old Charlotte Figi.
Suffering from a rare genetic disorder, she had as many as 300 grand mal seizures a week, used a wheelchair, went into repeated cardiac arrest and could barely speak. As a last resort, her mother began calling medical marijuana shops.
Two years later, Charlotte is largely seizure-free and able to walk, talk and feed herself after taking oil infused with a special pot strain. Her recovery has inspired both a name for the strain of marijuana she takes that is bred not to make users high — Charlotte’s Web — and an influx of families with seizure-stricken children to Colorado from states that ban the drug.
Deprecated: Function get_magic_quotes_gpc() is deprecated in /hermes/bosnacweb08/bosnacweb08bf/b1577/ipg.rifuturecom/RIFutureNew/wp-includes/formatting.php on line 4387
Beth Comery is a former Providence police officer who has become an advocate for taxing and regulating marijuana in her retirement.
Marijuana made it into the local news in two very different ways yesterday.
At the State House, two legislators announced they will again push a bill to legalize, tax and regulate marijuana like alcohol. Meanwhile, far away from the state capital near the Connecticut border, three young men were arrested for growing and selling pot.
Sen Josh Miller and Rep Edith Ajello spoke about how regulation can help keep cannabis away from kids and create revenue for the state and small businesses.
“Marijuana prohibition has been a long-term failure,” Miller said yesterday. “Forcing marijuana into the underground market ensures authorities have no control of the product. Regulating marijuana would allow the product to be sold safely and responsibly by legitimate businesses in appropriate locations.”
Earlier in the week, Rhode Island and Connecticut police seized more than a half million dollars in cash and product from a group of entrepreneurs who had evidently put together a not-so-small agricultural operation in spite of the law.
“In total, the search warrants resulted in the seizure of 248 marijuana plants, over 46 pounds of processed marijuana and $312,678 in United States Currency,” said a press release from the Rhode Island state police.
Miller and Ajello’s bill would put a $50 excise tax on every ounce of wholesale marijuana sold to a state-sanctioned store (much like liquor stores in Rhode Island). That means Rhode Island missed out on more than $30,000 in revenue from this one bust. The bill would also put a 10 percent tax on the retail sale of marijuana. That’s another $30,000 in revenue the state missed out on, assuming the confiscated cash was from the sale of said marijuana.
“Taxing marijuana sales will generate tens of millions of dollars in much-needed tax revenue for the state, a portion of which will be directed towards programs that treat and prevent alcohol and other substance abuse,” Ajello said at yesterday’s State House press conference.
Meanwhile, Rhode Island state police said more than 10 law enforcement agencies worked since January to arrest three people for growing and selling a plant. No guns and no other drugs or contraband was identified. Police did say Rhode Island medical marijuana cards were being misused, but that may be an indication that the three men are willing to comply with the law if the law were to recognize their very profitable business model.
“Marijuana prohibition is a failed policy, and when a law is broken it needs to be fixed,” said Jared Moffatt, of Regulate Rhode Island, the grassroots group working to take pot off the streets and put it onto the tax rolls. “Regulating marijuana is the solution because it will take control away from illegal dealers, and it will improve the Rhode Island economy by generating tax revenue and creating jobs.”
Deprecated: Function get_magic_quotes_gpc() is deprecated in /hermes/bosnacweb08/bosnacweb08bf/b1577/ipg.rifuturecom/RIFutureNew/wp-includes/formatting.php on line 4387
A majority of Rhode Islanders said the state should legalize marijuana, according to a poll conducted by the Public Policy Polling earlier this month January.
Respondents were asked: “In 2012, two states — Colorado and Washington — changed their laws to regulate and tax marijuana similarly to alcohol, for legal use by adults age 21 and older. Would you support or oppose changing Rhode Island law to regulate and tax marijuana similarly to alcohol, so stores would be licensed to sell marijuana to adults 21 and older?”
53 percent said yes and 41 percent said no. 58 percent of men surveyed thought marijuana should be legal and 46 percent of the women asked thought so. 60 percent of Demcrats who responded to the poll questions thought pot should be made legal and 45 percent of the Republicans did too.
“Rhode Islanders realize that it’s past time we stop funneling all of the proceeds from marijuana sales to criminals,” said Jared Moffat, executive director of Regulate Rhode Island. “We need to put marijuana in the hands of responsible businesses, creating hundreds of legitimate jobs and tens of millions of dollars in tax revenue.”
The General Assembly is expected to again debate a bill that would legalize and tax marijuana in the Ocean State. Advocates say the move would save the state tens of millions of dollars in costs to prosecute minor drug offenses and the tax revenue would far surpass that and become a new source of economic activity for the struggling state.
“A clear majority of Rhode Islanders realize that marijuana is safer than alcohol and does not contribute to violent and reckless behavior,” said Robert Capecchi, deputy director of state policies for the Marijuana Policy Project. “We should not be wasting limited law enforcement resources to punish adults who choose to use the less harmful substance. Prohibition is a terribly misguided policy. It is time to make marijuana legal and regulate it like alcohol.”
Deprecated: Function get_magic_quotes_gpc() is deprecated in /hermes/bosnacweb08/bosnacweb08bf/b1577/ipg.rifuturecom/RIFutureNew/wp-includes/formatting.php on line 4387
Whatever Dorothy Day was, she was not a tool of the rich and powerful. She advocated for the economic idea of distributism, an economic theory in opposition to both capitalism and socialism based on principles of Catholic social teachings. Pope Francis touched on distributism in his recent statements on what he called the “economy of exclusion and inequality” in his Evangelii Gaudium, taking to task those who avoid paying their fair share in taxes.
Given the historical, rhetorical and theological power of Catholics in opposition, why do some Catholics so strongly identify with libertarian ideas such as unfettered free markets and small government?
In an American context, given our constitutional heritage and the large body of legal decisions solidifying its interpretation, on nearly any issue, Christians of any denomination should reject the assistance of the State. [italics in original] Our efforts to capture it, the courts have made it clear, will always fail. Any attempt to infuse the activity of the government with the moral content of a revealed religion will be rejected, in the end.
If libertarian leaning Catholics cannot control the government, then Zmirak wants to minimize state power to negligible levels.
It seems clear that the public sphere in America is irretrievably secular. So the only logical response of Christians must be to try to shrink it. Instead of attempting to baptize a Leviathan which turned on us long ago, we’d do much better to cage and starve the beast. We should favor low taxes—period, regardless of the “good” use to which politicians promise to put it. We should oppose nearly every government program intended to achieve any aim whatsoever.
Perhaps this provides an insight into why Justin Katz can say “on the issue of legalizing marijuana I personally don’t have an issue with it” yet then argue against legalization. Money made through taxing marijuana will help to fund the government, not starve it. Remember that Christians, according to Zmirak, “…should oppose nearly every government program intended to achieve any aim whatsoever.”
What should be worrisome is the anti-American, anti-Constitutional at the core of this argument. Zmirak ends his piece with, “In many cultural contexts, the State can fruitfully employ its power to promote the faith and morals held in common by a community. But that can’t happen here. Not in America. Several of our Founders, and generations of our lawyers, have seen to that.”
A secular state that protects the right of conscience, freedom of (and from) religion and separation of church and state does not serve those who seek to impose their theocratic ideas on others. Those in opposition to such freed seek to diminish the government, and in turn weaken the protections such a government provides.
Deprecated: Function get_magic_quotes_gpc() is deprecated in /hermes/bosnacweb08/bosnacweb08bf/b1577/ipg.rifuturecom/RIFutureNew/wp-includes/formatting.php on line 4387
Justin Katz and I square off over legalizing marijuana on the most recent installment of the 10 News Conference Wingmen Segment. I think it should be legal because it would raise new revenue and create new jobs. I still don’t quite get why Justin Katz doesn’t support this. But you can watch the reasons he cites here:
Deprecated: Function get_magic_quotes_gpc() is deprecated in /hermes/bosnacweb08/bosnacweb08bf/b1577/ipg.rifuturecom/RIFutureNew/wp-includes/formatting.php on line 4387
Deprecated: Function get_magic_quotes_gpc() is deprecated in /hermes/bosnacweb08/bosnacweb08bf/b1577/ipg.rifuturecom/RIFutureNew/wp-includes/formatting.php on line 4387
Deprecated: Function get_magic_quotes_gpc() is deprecated in /hermes/bosnacweb08/bosnacweb08bf/b1577/ipg.rifuturecom/RIFutureNew/wp-includes/formatting.php on line 4387
Deprecated: Function get_magic_quotes_gpc() is deprecated in /hermes/bosnacweb08/bosnacweb08bf/b1577/ipg.rifuturecom/RIFutureNew/wp-includes/formatting.php on line 4387
Deprecated: Function get_magic_quotes_gpc() is deprecated in /hermes/bosnacweb08/bosnacweb08bf/b1577/ipg.rifuturecom/RIFutureNew/wp-includes/formatting.php on line 4387
Deprecated: Function get_magic_quotes_gpc() is deprecated in /hermes/bosnacweb08/bosnacweb08bf/b1577/ipg.rifuturecom/RIFutureNew/wp-includes/formatting.php on line 4387
Dr. Lewis joked that this being Brown University, he couldn’t let the audience go without giving them a reading assignment. He recommended the following:
