“Stores open by next May, a year from now, and Massachusetts opened their first shops in 2018, some of them just steps from the Rhode Island border.
Cannabis consumption would be prohibited in public places, and unsealed containers would be prohibited from the passenger areas of a car.If enacted, a Cannabis Control Commission would oversee a competitive and accessible licensing structure that would generate tax revenue through the regular state sales tax that would go directly back to the municipality where the cannabis was legal purchased.
Also outlined in the proposed legislation is a process that would allow for the expedited expungement of cannabis-related misdemeanor offenses free of charge, “whereby individuals file notice with the court for an automatic review of their record.” Some senators said this did not go far enough, however, as the legislation still requires a participatory process for this provision.
The hearing of the bill on the Senate floor was historic, as no similar legislation had ever made it out of committee in the Rhode Island legislature, usually being held for further study.
After roughly a decade of public discussion and debate in Rhode Island, this is the first time a legislative chamber in the General Assembly has voted on a bill to legalize cannabis for adults,” said Jared Moffat, state campaigns manager for the Marijuana Policy Project.
Rhode Island, when considered against its New England neighbors, has been delayed in seriously considering and voting on such a law.
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