Rhode Island Legalizes Medical Use of Marijuana

The Rhode Island state House overrode a veto Tuesday by Gov. Don Carcieri, 59 to 13. The vote approved allowing people with illnesses such as AIDS and cancer to grow and use marijuana for medicinal purposes. Patients who register with the state can grow up to a dozen marijuana plants or buy up to 2.5 ounces of marijuana to relieve their symptoms and pain. They are required to have a licensed identification card and cannot use the marijuana in public places.

Federal law has always made it illegal for anyone to use marijuana for any purpose. However, 10 states have chosen to ignore the federal law and enact their own statewide laws in regard to medical usage of marijuana. Maine, Vermont, Alaska, Colorado, Hawaii, California, Nevada, Montana, Washington, and Oregon allow patients with certain illnesses to grow their own marijuana and use it for medicinal purposes.

The Supreme Court ruled June 6 that even if doctors recommend the use of marijuana by patients to help them deal with their symptoms, those patients can still be prosecuted under federal drug laws despite the state laws permitting it. However, federal authorities have generally conceded that they are unlikely to prosecute many medical marijuana users. In debating the issue, Rhode Island state Rep. Thomas Slater said that he doesn’t use marijuana now, but that it could become part of his treatment in the future. Slater, who has cancer, told his fellow lawmakers, "I’m sure everybody in this room knows at least one person who would have benefited from medical marijuana."

Gov. Carcieri was upset and disappointed that his veto was overridden by the House. He told reporters that the law fails to provide ways for users to buy marijuana legally, and it opens the door for Rhode Islanders to face federal prosecution. "Users will be forced to purchase marijuana in the illegal street market, putting them at risk and complicating the difficult jobs that our law enforcement personnel must do every day," the governor said. Tom Riley, spokesman for the Office of National Drug Control Policy in Washington, D.C., echoed the governor’s sentiments. According to Riley, the pro-pot vote showed that lawmakers have a "misguided and out of touch" opinion about the benign effects of using marijuana for medicinal purposes. "There’s this notion from the ‘60s or the ‘70s that marijuana is a harmless drug," Riley said. "It’s not."