[embedded content]<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re studying other states. But the marijuana bill in general is a very complicated piece of legislation,\u201d he said. \u201cPeople just say \u2018legalize it.\u2019 It touches very different areas of the law. It touches taxation. We have to make sure that we\u2019re doing it right.\u201d<\/p>\n He also said that lawmakers are \u201ctalking about some kind of a expungement process that would be built into the bill as well\u2014so it\u2019s a very comprehensive bill. It\u2019s a very thick bill. And it\u2019s in a lot of different areas of law, and I want to make sure we do it right.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve always said, I don\u2019t necessarily want to be the first, I want to be the best.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Sen. Josh Miller (D), sponsor of one legalization proposal that was approved in the Senate earlier this year<\/a>, similarly said in October that regulatory responsibility remained to be a sticking point in negotiations.<\/p>\n It appears that another outstanding issue related to how many marijuana business licenses should be approved has been resolved, given the speaker\u2019s new comments. Miller\u2019s bill proposed as many as 150 cannabis shops, whereas Gov. Dan McKee\u2019s (D) plan<\/a> called for 25 and Rep. Scott Slater (D) wanted just 15 in his separate House bill.<\/p>\n Negotiators also recently reached an agreement<\/a> to place a temporary moratorium on approving additional cannabis cultivator licenses. Some have protested adding cultivators beyond the existing medical marijuana licensees because they say there\u2019s already a sufficient supply to meet demand in the adult-use market.<\/p>\n \u2014 But regulatory authority still needs to be hashed out.<\/p>\n Some like Miller want to set up an independent cannabis commission, whereas others feel the recreational market should be overseen by the DBR, which currently regulates Rhode Island\u2019s medical marijuana program.<\/p>\n Senate President Dominick Ruggerio (D), for his part, said in September that lawmakers are \u201cvery close\u201d to reaching a deal<\/a> on a marijuana legalization bill.<\/p>\n \u201cWe sent legislation\u2014which we think is a very good piece of legislation\u2014over to the House before we left in June,\u201d the senator said, referring to the legalization bill that his chamber approved in June. \u201cThey are working on that legislation with some of the House people at this point in time.\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 While each of the competing bills 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 in September. \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 Shekarchi 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 lawmakers convened a special session this fall.<\/p>\n Slater recently told Marijuana Moment that \u201cthings are still where they were\u201d prior to the end of session\u2014but 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 had been \u201cmostly informal,\u201d 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 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\n
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