Considering the socially conservative ethos of the General Assembly, it was somewhat counter-intuitive when the legislature overrode Governor Carcieri's veto of a medical marijuana bill a few years back.
Jesse Stout, executive director of the Rhode Island Patient Advocacy Coalition, an advocacy group, describes the commission as a positive thing.
“This study could really tip the balance,” Stout says. “We’re very optimistic about a bill’s passage in 2009, and the opening of compassion centers in Rhode Island by 2010.” ....
The bottom line, however, is that Rhode Island’s marijuana medical law remains a half-measure, even with an absence of the problems originally predicted by opponents.
George Des Roches has been a participant in the state’s medicinal marijuana program for one year. He suffers from Marfan’s syndrome, a connective tissue disorder, and he has faced the business end of a gun while buying marijuana on the street.
Des Roches estimates the cost involved in growing marijuana at between $3000 and $5000, for proper lights and equipment.
“Considering some of these patients can’t care for themselves, that’s a pretty daunting task,” he says, emphasizing the benefits of an autonomous compassion center. And pointing to those like himself, he adds, “This isn’t just a bunch of people getting stoned.”
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