Working to Reform Marijuana Laws in Rhode Island
EDUCATE, ADVOCATE, legislate
Since its founding in 1970, the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML) has provided a voice in the public policy debate for those Americans who oppose cannabis prohibition and favor an end to the practice of arresting cannabis users. A nonprofit public-interest advocacy group, NORML represents the interests of the tens of millions of Americans who use marijuana responsibly.
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raimondo’s 2020 proposal: a fact sheet
Watch a Message FROM NORML FOUNDER KEITH STROUP
%
of u.s. adults think marijuana should be legalized*
*Source: sept. 2018, the pew research center
Registered patients, caregivers and purchasers in Rhode Island**
**Source: 2018 MMP Report to the RI General Assembly
There is Still a Lot to Do!
It’s been more than a decade since Rhode Island legalized Medical Marijuana, and we have gotten only slightly closer to ending cannabis prohibition for good. While we are encouraged that legalization has been proposed in Governor Raimondo’s Fiscal Year 2020 Budget, we are dismayed by the restrictions and regulations put forth, without discussion. NORML RI supports an open and fair process, which includes presenting this as legislation that can be debated and discussed publicly. We do not believe that a recreational proposal should be muddled up with the erosion of existing patient rights. It’s time to let them know we are watching!
RI NORML Newsroom
CANCELLED: RI House Judiciary Committee Hearings on MJ Bills 3/26
Rep Slater has delayed the hearing on his bill to address language relating to board members of existing dispensaries having an in to the retail market. Read more here:...
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State House Hearing on Marijuana (Article 20) Scheduled for March 20
The Rhode Island House Committee on Finance has scheduled the agenda for the public hearing on Article 20 (Marijuana), the "Adult Use of Marijuana Act," for March 20, 2019 at "the rise of the House," (4:30pm) at the Rhode Island State House. Do you have something to...
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Let’s Have Better Marijuana Legalization for Rhode Island
NORML Rhode Island explores Governor Gina Raimondo’s recently unveiled budget proposal for 2020 that would legalize recreational marijuana in Rhode Island “with reluctance.”
read moreNational NORML News
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THIS is what proper legalization entails!
Illinois is expunging marijuana convictions from nearly 800,000 criminal records
cnn.com
If you've been arrested for weed in Illinois, you can breathe a sigh of relief.Cannabis: The PTSD Solution I A Green Flower Documentary
youtube.com
PTSD can strike anyone exposed to traumatic or life-threatening events. In this powerful new documentary, Green Flower explores how cannabis has become a gam...Action alert! Seriously! They're trying to curb existing grow rights and increase dispensary licenses to half a million dollars per year!
Rhode Island 2019 budget email action
marijuanapolicyproject.salsalabs.org
Rhode Island: Tell your state legislators to oppose budget provisions restricting patient home cultivation and raising annual compassion center fees to $500,000Rhode Island 2019 budget email action
marijuanapolicyproject.salsalabs.org
Rhode Island: Tell your state legislators to oppose budget provisions restricting patient home cultivation and raising annual compassion center fees to $500,000They are proposing $500,000 PER YEAR to hold a "compassion center" license. That will be passed on to the sick - RI already places sales tax on the medicine (unlike MA). Tell your legislator NO!
But it also raises the annual licensing fees for compassion centers to $500,000 — 10 to 100 times more than what most other medical marijuana states require from dispensaries. These fees will generate $4.5 million per year, most or all of which will be passed down to patients who are already struggling with high health care costs.
The budget debate is happening Friday. Call your legislators now and ask them to oppose this tax increase on patients. Using your address, you can look them up at this link: openstates.org/find_your_legislator/?address=
NORML Rhode Island Supports:
full legalization
Adults should have the freedom to use marijuana responsibly, just as with other medications. Marijuana should be subject to reasonable taxation and regulation.
local business opportunities
We support fair and accessible licensing opportunities for small businesses and co-ops. Data shows that a greater percentage of small business revenue goes right back into the local economy. Let’s make sure there are still opportunities for local businesses that improve the community and the local economy, and not price out the little guy before we even start.
education & advocacy
Cannabis is most effective when properly chosen and consumed in the way most beneficial to the user. There is more to choosing the proper medicine than THC content. We do not believe in arbitrary restrictions based solely on THC content. The public should have access to quality information about what they are ingesting and why.
growth of the hemp industry
Beyond the wonders of marijuana we all know, there is hemp, marijuana’s non-psychoactive cousin. Hemp is a fast-growing, renewable alternative for everything from food products, textiles, paper, etc. As a non-mind-altering substance, we do not believe hemp should be subject to the same “sin taxes” proposed to marijuana containing THC. (Current proposal: 80% wholesale tax on CBD made from hemp)
quality control
Along with education, consumers should also know what goes into their cannabis, how it is grown, and lab testing results to make sure it is free from pesticides, unwanted additives, and contaminants that are not safe in any other products.
sentence forgiveness & SOCIAL EQUITY PROGRAMS
Along with legalization, it is important to look beyond the revenue to address social issues. Among them, sentence forgiveness for those currently incarcerated for non-violent marijuana offenses, which would relieve our crowded prisons and save taxpayer dollars. In addition, we should follow the lead of Massachusetts’ Cannabis Control Commission, which encourages social equity programs reparative practices in the commercial marijuana industry.
There’s Power in Numbers.
Join NORML Rhode Island Today.
LET’S BE A BIG VOICE IN THIS LITTLE STATE. THEN THEY WILL LISTEN!
HOME GROWN
gotta start somewhere- Personalized membership card
- Invitations to Member Meetings
- E-mail updates & special invitations
NUGGS
the bedrocks- EVERYTHING TO THE LEFT, PLUS:
- Right to vote at Member Meetings
- RI NORML T-shirt or tank top
- Latest issue of 13 Folds Magazine, RI's Cannabis News, Art & Entertainment publication
- You are now considered a National NORML Member as well!
BEASTER
you've come a long way- EVERYTHING TO THE LEFT, PLUS:
- Complimentary VIP upgrade with purchased ticket to all member events
- One limited edition art print of your choice, donated by 13 Folds
- Limited edition 100% hemp NORML rolling papers
KIND
a heart of gold, I tell ya...- EVERYTHING TO THE LEFT, PLUS:
- 1 FREE VIP ticket to the annual Wonderland Tea Party (13 Folds Magazine's annual Halloween celebration)
- One year's subscription (4 issues) to 13 Folds Magazine
If people let government decide which foods they eat and medicines they take, their bodies will soon be in as sorry a state as are the souls of those who live under tyranny.
- Thomas Jefferson, third President of the United States & hemp farmerIt Takes A Village! Support Our Local Partners in the Cannabis Community
