Yes We Cannabis, Rhode Island: Nonprofits, businesses, and community leaders encourage the General Assembly to reach a consensus and equitably legalize cannabis in a special session 

 

In a statement signed by 10 allied organizations, Yes We Cannabis RI is urging lawmakers to reach an agreement and enact a legalization law that prioritizes social justice before the end of the year
Interview availability:

Meko Lincoln, Formerly Incarcerated Union of RI
Emily Cotter, community advocate and cannabis entrepreneur
Jared Moffat, Marijuana Policy Project (phone or Zoom only) 

PROVIDENCE — A growing chorus of voices in Rhode Island is urging lawmakers to reach a deal to equitably legalize cannabis for adults in a special legislative session tentatively slated for this fall.

 

A group of 10 organizations, listed below, as well as many individual supporters, signed the following statement, which was shared with the governor’s office and the members of the General Assembly today. The effort was organized by Yes We Cannabis RI, a statewide coalition advocating for legalization policies that stop the harms of cannabis criminalization, center the people and families most affected, protect civil rights and civil liberties, and provide economic opportunities for all to participate in and benefit from the newly legalized cannabis industry. The coalition’s short statement reads:

The war on cannabis has gone on long enough. Tens of thousands of Rhode Island residents, disproportionately people of color, bear the weight of a criminal record for something that is now legal in both Connecticut and Massachusetts. It is time to stop the harm and repair the damage that has been done here in our state. We urge members of the General Assembly to find common ground and move forward with a plan to equitably legalize cannabis in a special legislative session this year. 

American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of RI
Black Lives Matter RI PAC
Formerly Incarcerated Union of RI
Garden Time (reentry program)
Marijuana Policy Project 
NAACP – Providence branch
Protect Families First
Reclaim RI
Rhode Island Cultivator Industry Association
Substance Use Policy Education and Recovery PAC

Throughout the summer, leaders in the General Assembly have indicated they are discussing an agreement to resolve differences between the previously introduced proposals and pass a legalization law in a special session this fall. 

According to the latest national Gallup poll, 68% of Americans believe cannabis should be legal for adults. And a 2020 YouGov survey found that 70% of voters support expunging the records of people with non-violent marijuana convictions.

During the regular legislative session earlier this year, the Senate, the House, and Gov. McKee proposed three distinct plans to legalize cannabis. In June, the Senate’s legalization bill passed on the floor in a 29-9 vote, but time ran out before legislators could reach a compromise on key differences between that bill and the other proposals.

 

Also in June, Connecticut lawmakers in Hartford held a special session and became the 19th state to approve a law legalizing the use of cannabis for adults 21 and older.