The Rhode Island Senate President, Dominick Ruggerio, D, spoke with local news reporters about the cannabis situation. This past summer, the Senate approved a recreational cannabis legalization bill, S0568. However, with the regular session coming to an end, the House didn’t have a chance to properly discuss the matter. Recreational cannabis legalization discussion moved to a special session. While there is still no date set for the special session to discuss cannabis, lawmakers continue to take steps forward towards making the special session a reality.

Lawmaker Response

Senate President Ruggerio discussed legalization, saying, “We’ve had people working on that issue since we’ve left the session this year.

“We sent legislation—which we think is a very good piece of legislation—over to the House before we left in June,” the senator explained. “They are working on that legislation with some of the House people at this point in time. We’re hoping we can get cannabis done… We’re making progress, but we’re not there at this point in time. There’s a couple stumbling blocks that they are addressing right now, and we’ll see how that shakes out.”

The stumbling blocks the senator mentioned refer to the differences in bills discussed this past session. The House, the Senate, and Governor McKee’s office each submitted competing bills. While the premise of each bill is the same, differences need addressed before lawmakers agree to move forward. 

For example, the Senate wants to create a separate commission to regulate the cannabis industry. This commission would also approve and distribute licenses. However, the House and Governor Dan McKee, D, believe a cannabis program should run under the state’s Department of Business Regulation (DBR).

Activists

In the meantime, several activist groups, such as Yes We Cannabis Rhode Island and Reclaim Rhode Island, are working to create their own measures to pressure lawmakers into taking action sooner rather than later. Together, these organizations, along with others, have drafted what they call the Marijuana Justice Statement. This lists the concerns activists and citizens have regarding recreational cannabis and what it should look like in the future. 

Neighboring states Connecticut and Massachusetts have legalized recreational cannabis. Lawmakers are feeling the pressure to legalize, but they want to do it right. Recreational cannabis legalization isn’t a matter to push to next year, the senate president assured. It will see a discussion this year. As more information becomes available, we will update you with the latest.

Make sure to check back for more cannabis and hemp related news.