[embedded content]<\/span><\/p>\n A special session has yet to be called, but Ruggerio said he feels an agreement on cannabis reform will be made in time to call lawmakers back to the State House within the coming months.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re hoping we can get cannabis done. We\u2019re very close. We\u2019re making progress, but we\u2019re not there at this point in time,\u201d he said<\/a>. \u201cThere\u2019s a couple stumbling blocks that they are addressing right now, and we\u2019ll see how that shakes out.\u201d<\/p>\n What remains to be seen is whether the negotiated legalization bill that\u2019s ultimately produced will satisfy advocates and progressive lawmakers, some of whom have rallied behind an agenda for reform<\/a> that emphasizes the need for bold social equity provisions.<\/p>\n Negotiators have been working to reconcile competing proposals from the House, Senate and Gov. Daniel McKee (D)<\/a>. While the bills each contain components meant to address the harms of marijuana criminalization, the coalition led by Reclaim Rhode Island says they\u2019re insufficient. Advocates and supportive lawmakers have laid out specific items that they want to see incorporated such as setting aside half of cannabis business licenses for communities most impacted by prohibition.<\/p>\n \u201cWe can\u2019t reverse the harm of the war on drugs, but we can start to repair it by passing automatic expungement and waiving all related fines, fees and court debt,\u201d Rep. Karen Alzate (D), chair of the Rhode Island Legislative Black and Latino Caucus, said earlier this month. \u201cThis bold legalization plan offers us the chance to turn a new leaf for the Ocean State, and it\u2019s time we take it.\u201d<\/p>\n Ruggerio, for his part, said he does feel that the legalization bill that was approved in the Senate contained \u201cvery strong social justice provisions\u201d and the expungements provision is \u201cas close to automatic as practical.\u201d<\/p>\n Reclaim Rhode Island isn\u2019t the only group pushing lawmakers to expeditiously work to pass legalization. It\u2019s part of a coalition of 10 civil rights and drug policy reform advocacy groups\u2014including the Rhode Island chapters of the ACLU and NAACP\u2014that recently demanded that lawmakers move ahead with enacting marijuana reform<\/a> in the state before the end of 2021.<\/p>\n House Speaker Joe Shekarchi (D) said in July that while there\u2019s not yet a consensus among legislators and the governor on a deal to legalize marijuana, it\u2019s still a \u201cworkable\u201d issue and would be prioritized<\/a> if negotiations succeed this summer and a special session is convened this fall.<\/p>\n The speaker said this month that bicameral negotiators \u201care continuing to have productive discussions about the significant policy implications associated with legalizing marijuana for personal use, including, but not limited to, some of the issues raised today at the press conference\u201d by activists and lawmakers.<\/p>\n Rep. Scott Slater (D), for his part, recently told Marijuana Moment that \u201cthings are still where they were\u201d prior to the end of session. Lawmakers are \u201ctrying to figure out a reconciliation between my bill<\/a>, the Senate\u2019s and the governor\u2019s.\u201d<\/p>\n Meetings over the summer have been \u201cmostly informal\u201d so far, the representative said. \u201cI think we can get there before next year. It will not be perfect, and I am sure a work in progress.\u201d<\/p>\n Ruggerio said in July that he\u2019s not disappointed the House hasn\u2019t advanced legalization legislation<\/a> yet and that \u201cwhat we really wanted to do was send it over and have them take a look at it\u201d when his chamber passed its cannabis reform measure.<\/p>\n Shekarchi, for his part, previously said that he feels reform is \u201cinevitable.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n A key disagreement between the House, Senate and governor\u2019s office concerns who should have regulatory authority over marijuana. Ruggerio was pressed on the issue during a recent interview and said members of his chamber agree that \u201ca separate commission is the way to go with respect to this.\u201d<\/p>\n The House and McKee, on the other hand, want the program to be managed by the state Department of Business Regulation (DBR). Ruggerio noted that \u201cit was difficult to negotiate on a bill when the House bill really didn\u2019t come until late in the session.\u201d<\/p>\n Senate Majority Leader Mike McCaffrey (D) was also recently asked about provisions related to allowing local municipalities to opt out of allowing marijuana businesses to operate in their area. He said \u201conce the legislation is passed and whatever form is passed in, the communities have an opportunity to opt out.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThey have an opportunity to opt out if the community doesn\u2019t want to participate in it,\u201d he said. \u201cThat\u2019s their decision\u2014however, they don\u2019t get the funds that would come from the sales in that community.\u201d<\/p>\n The majority leader also noted that neighboring states like Connecticut and Massachusetts have enacted legalization<\/a>, and that adds impetus for the legislature to pursue reform in the state.<\/p>\n Shekarchi, meanwhile, said in July that he doesn\u2019t intend to let regional pressure dictate the timeline for when Rhode Island enacts a policy change. Social equity, licensing fees, labor agreements and home grow provisions are among the outstanding matters that need to be addressed, the speaker said.<\/p>\n The House Finance Committee held a hearing on Slater\u2019s legalization measure<\/a> in June.<\/p>\n The governor previously told reporters that while he backs legalization it is \u201cnot like one of my highest priorities,\u201d adding that \u201cwe\u2019re not in a race with Connecticut or Massachusetts on this issue.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI think we need to get it right,\u201d he said, pointing to ongoing discussions with the House and Senate.<\/p>\n The House Finance Committee discussed the governor\u2019s proposal to end prohibition at an earlier hearing in April<\/a>.<\/p>\n Both the governor and the leaders\u2019 legalization plans are notably different than the proposal that former Gov. Gina Raimondo (D) had included in her budget last year. Prior to leaving office to join the Biden administration<\/a> as commerce secretary, she called for legalization through a state-run model<\/a>.<\/p>\n McKee gave initial insights into his perspective on the reform in January, saying that \u201cit\u2019s time that [legalization] happens\u201d and that he\u2019s \u201cmore leaning towards an entrepreneurial strategy<\/a> there to let that roll that way.\u201d<\/p>\n Shekarchi, meanwhile, has said he\u2019s \u201cabsolutely\u201d open to the idea of cannabis legalization<\/a> and also leans toward privatization.<\/p>\n Late last year, the Senate Finance Committee began preliminary consideration of legalization<\/a> in preparation for the 2021 session, with lawmakers generally accepting the reform as an inevitability. \u201cI certainly do think we\u2019ll act on the issue, whether it\u2019s more private or more state,\u201d Sen. Ryan Pearson (D), who now serves as the panel\u2019s chairman, said at the time.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, the governor in July signed a historic bill to allow safe consumption sites<\/a> where people could use illicit drugs under medical supervision and receive resources to enter treatment. Harm reduction advocates say this would prevent overdose deaths and help de-stigmatize substance misuse. Rhode Island is the first state to allow the facilities.<\/p>\n The Senate Judiciary Committee also held a hearing in March on legislation that would end criminal penalties for possessing small amounts of drugs<\/a> and replace them with a $100 fine.<\/p>\n Pennsylvania Senators Will Consider DUI Protections For Medical Marijuana Patients At Hearing<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Photo courtesy of Brian Shamblen<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n
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