cannabisnews.com: RI Senate Panel Studying Marijuana Laws at Impasse
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RI Senate Panel Studying Marijuana Laws at Impasse
Posted by CN Staff on March 05, 2010 at 13:37:30 PT
By Katherine Gregg, Journal State House Bureau 
Source: Providence Journal
Providence, R.I. --  A Senate commission studying the potential decriminalization of marijuana hit an impasse Wednesday, despite a Harvard lecturer’s estimate that Rhode Island could save upward of $11.2 million annually if the cash-strapped state stopped arresting people with less than an ounce of the drug.Instead of wrapping up its 3½-month study on Wednesday as the chairman — Sen. Joshua Miller, D-Cranston — had hoped, the panel of lawyers, legislators, past and present police officers, a nurse, a doctor and a medical-marijuana patient agreed to return to the State House one more time to try to figure out where they do agree.
Possession of any amount of marijuana currently carries a criminal penalty of up to one year in jail, and a $500 fine.Though no votes were taken, Miller said it appeared to him the majority would back a version of legislation already introduced in the House and Senate to make possession of an ounce or less of marijuana a civil infraction, punishable by a $150 fine. Even Miller came away from the discussion unsure whether the panel would back a second concept that he called a personal priority: making sure that no one is sent to prison, as a probation or parole violator, for getting caught with a small amount of marijuana.Even though Massachusetts has already decriminalized it, the prospect of downgrading marijuana-possession to a civil offense ignited a spirited exchange between panel members Joseph Osediacz, who ran the narcotics unit for the Rhode Island State Police from 1985-90, and Dr. David Lewis, the founder of alcohol and addiction studies at Brown University, with Osediacz, saying “We’re actually saying it’s still OK to smoke this stuff. I am totally against that.”Lewis responded: “We’ve got penalties … We’ve got prevention messages about driving … I mean, what we are saying is we are not going to use the criminal justice system [exclusively] as a way of regulating it.”“But doctor, if someone were to tell me that marijuana was not a dangerous drug, I would go along with it,” Osediacz said.“I didn’t say that,” said Lewis, who only an hour earlier had given panelists a rundown of some of the adverse effects of marijuana, including “anxiety and panic, especially in naive users … psychotic symptom is [at high doses] … road crashes if a person drives while intoxicated.”He said marijuana has also been cited as a cause — or at least, a contributing cause — to what he called “impaired educational attainment in adolescents who are regular users,” and “subtle cognitive impairment in those who are a daily user for 10 years or more.”“So why are we saying it’s OK?” Osediacz pressed.“I would say yes, it can be a very dangerous drug,” Lewis said. “The question is whether we want to use the criminal justice system the way that we do… There are [also] some arguments about law-enforcement priorities.”Former state Rep. Joseph Moran, who is now the Central Falls police chief and head of the Rhode Island Police Chiefs Association, questioned the savings expectations in light of the costly extra steps that, he said, local police officers would have to take to prove driving-under-the-influence by drivers involved in crashes, who had smoked or ingested marijuana.He said a police officer can conduct Breathalyzer tests in the field, while they would be required to get a suspected marijuana-influenced driver to a hospital to get blood drawn.But one of the commission members — Harvard University lecturer Jeffrey Miron — left the panel with some eye-popping projections of potential savings.Miron suggested Rhode Island could both save as much as $11.2 million a year, by forgoing the arrest of about 1,000 people annually on marijuana charges, and as much as $40.5 million by legalizing the drug. His estimates, which did not even take into account the expense of prosecuting and jailing offenders, assumed each arrest cost more than $10,000.His numbers were huge by way of comparison with the $232,000 that state prison officials projected in potential savings, if people were not in jail for marijuana. Since few people actually go to jail for marijuana possession alone, they said it was hard for them to analyze how many fewer prisoners that would have in their cells. But Miron said he believed his estimates were on the low side.Miron also dangled the potential for $7.6 million in new revenue if the state decided to tax — rather than prosecute — marijuana possession. His projection was based on an assumed 50-percent excise-tax on each marijuana sale.Source: Providence Journal, The (RI)Author: Katherine Gregg, Journal State House Bureau Published: Friday, March 5, 2010Copyright: 2010 The Providence Journal CompanyContact: letters projo.comWebsite: http://www.projo.com/ URL: http://drugsense.org/url/otmqVAj5CannabisNews -- Cannabis Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/cannabis.shtml 
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Comment #16 posted by James Crosby on March 07, 2010 at 13:31:44 PT:
OCTA
Studies like this are SUCH A WASTE OF TIME. Everyone with a good mind already knows that the world would be better if it were taxed, regulated, and we were able to grow our own if we didn't sell it. If you sell it, you should, probably, have to get licensed. Support the Oregon Cannabis Tax Act, and stop waiting on legislators who can't get anything done. http://www.cannabistaxact.org/
http://www.cannabistaxact.org/
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Comment #15 posted by por1 on March 06, 2010 at 19:50:08 PT:
WE are all of like mind
for the most part.So there is not mutch to say from here but,Hey RUNRUF your the best 
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Comment #14 posted by Canis420 on March 06, 2010 at 13:32:03 PT:
RI Bill
I read the bill and it looks great except for the $100.00 per plant zip tie registry deal. How could they enforce such a thing. I would like to see 6 plants at no charge or a very small charge. But on the whole it recognizes precepts that we promote here.
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Comment #13 posted by Paint with light on March 06, 2010 at 13:27:46 PT
I agree Hope
I also have just skimmed the bill, but I did print it out.I especially like this part......10-17 Whoever drives or otherwise operates any vehicle in the state with a blood presence of any scheduled controlled substance as defined within chapter 28 of title 21 """"""except for marijuana"""""", as shown by analysis of a blood or urine sample, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and
	
shall be punished as provided in subsection (d) of this section. Whoever drives or otherwise operates any vehicle in the state with a blood presence of marijuana, as shown by analysis of a blood or urine sample, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and shall be punished as provided in subsection (d) of this section ''''''only if it is proven,""""" examining """""the totality of the circumstances, that the driver is impaired."""""""" """""""The driver shall not""""be considered to be impaired by marijuana solely because of the presence of metabolites or components of marijuana unless those metabolites or components are proven to be in sufficient concentration to cause impairment""""""""".As long as the level is not set too low I could go with this.Thanks for the link por 1.Legal like alcohol. 
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Comment #12 posted by Hope on March 06, 2010 at 10:09:35 PT
Por1 Comment 9
Wow! That's pretty amazing. Legislators with a plan. A real plan!Is it possible that bill could pass into legislation? From skimming through it, I certainly hope so.
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Comment #11 posted by runruff on March 06, 2010 at 09:47:35 PT
porl
you spoke my heart!
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Comment #10 posted by Hope on March 06, 2010 at 09:11:05 PT
It's just hideous to me
to think that the government of my country is so tyrannical as to lock people in prisons for years and years and persecute citizens mercilessly over the plants they'd like to grow and use.So much harm has been done in the name of the prohibition of these plants. It's twisted, immoral, and hideous. The prohibition needs to be stopped and stopped completely.The longer they keep it up, the more I think there should be some punishment of note, Nuremberg style, for the active prohibitionists for their hateful persecution and killings. 
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Comment #9 posted by por1 on March 06, 2010 at 07:49:58 PT:
Some lawmakers realy think
outside the box?Go RI.This bill as most is a long read but most of it realy makes sence.I want these guys in colo.
http://www.rilin.state.ri.us/BillText/BillText10/HouseText10/H7838.htm 
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Comment #8 posted by por1 on March 06, 2010 at 07:02:25 PT:
rainman runruf
anfter 18 months in florence colo and then finish state sentance.Total 24 months then 5 years probation and parole at the same time.Got off both a little early.(try fed and state parole at the same time, not easy)The day they turned me loose I fired up a fat one.
It changes the way you think of the war and after 7 years with it behind me Im not crazy just still pissed.
Its sure is life changing and we dont forget.We just fight so others hopefully will not go through the same.I love that movie Rainman
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Comment #7 posted by FoM on March 06, 2010 at 05:22:27 PT
runruff 
You are loved. You ain't crazified dude! LOL!
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Comment #6 posted by FoM on March 06, 2010 at 05:20:19 PT
Leave The Man Alone by Sen. Charlie Albertson
I found this in an e-mail. It's a Senators song about Willie Nelson. The Senator is 78 years old! Leave The Man Alone by Sen. Charlie Albertsonhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pTPsbNc3rdghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_W._Albertson
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Comment #5 posted by runruff on March 06, 2010 at 01:49:33 PT
I think I be done a little bit crazified?
I'm get a little bit better tho, now tho?Six years in bed with the fed would likely drive the Rainman crazy!Ya'll sound just great!
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Comment #4 posted by ekim on March 05, 2010 at 21:05:14 PT
Make it so you can go to jail, lose everything you
 own, be alienated from family, beat up by the cops, or worse shot and killed......worse worse your poor dogsEx-Cop Chides Calvo for Questioning the Cops Who Nearly Killed Himpoor ol labs never hurt no1http://www.drugwarrant.com/2010/03/the-incredible-entrenchment-of-the-drug-war/#comments
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Comment #3 posted by Paint with light on March 05, 2010 at 20:51:21 PT
Guess what?
"'But doctor, if someone were to tell me that marijuana was not a dangerous drug, I would go along with it,' Osediacz said."Hey, "professional narcotics guy"....Marijuana/cannabis is not a dangerous drug.Never has been and never will be."Lewis, who only an hour earlier had given panelists a rundown of some of the adverse effects of marijuana, including 'anxiety and panic, especially in naive users … psychotic symptom is [at high doses] … road crashes if a person drives while intoxicated.'"Make it so you can go to jail, lose everything you own, be alienated from family, beat up by the cops, or worse shot and killed.........for using a substance.......and most people would suffer heightened anxiety and panic while consuming that substance for the first time(naive).Cure that.....legalize."He said a police officer can conduct Breathalyzer tests in the field, while they would be required to get a suspected marijuana-influenced driver to a hospital to get blood drawn."Notice they do not say "field sobriety test" because all but a very few people could pass that.And the few that can't.......probably don't need to be driving.Legal like alcohol.
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Comment #2 posted by The GCW on March 05, 2010 at 19:21:14 PT
DEAth vader news.
How the DEA Scrubbed Thomas Jefferson's Poppy Garden from Public MemoryBy Jim Hogshire, Feral House - Friday, March 5 2010 Visitors to Monticello don't learn how Jefferson cultivated poppies, and his personal opium use may as well never have happened. The following is an excerpt from Jim Hogshire's "Opium for the Masses: Harvesting Nature's Best Pain Medication" (Feral House, 2009).Thomas Jefferson was a drug criminal. But he managed to escape the terrible sword of justice by dying a century before the DEA was created. In 1987 agents from the Drug Enforcement Agency showed up at Monticello, Jefferson's famous estate.Jefferson had planted opium poppies in his medicinal garden, and opium poppies are now deemed illegal. Now, the trouble was the folks at the Monticello Foundation, which preserves and maintains the historic site, were discovered flagrantly continuing Jefferson's crimes. The agents were blunt: The poppies had to be immediately uprooted and destroyed or else they were going to start making arrests, and Monticello Foundation personnel would perhaps face lengthy stretches in prison.The story sounds stupid now, but it scared the hell out of the people at Monticello, who immediately started yanking the forbidden plants. A DEA man noticed the store was selling packets of "Thomas Jefferson's Monticello Poppies." The seeds had to go, too. While poppy seeds might be legal, it is never legal to plant them. Not for any reason.Employees even gathered the store's souvenir T-shirts -- with silkscreened photos of Monticello poppies on the chest -- and burned them. Nobody told them to do this, but, under the circumstances, no one dared risk the threat.Jefferson's poppies are gone without a trace now. Nobody said much at the time, nor are they saying much now. Visitors to Monticello don't learn how the Founding Father cultivated poppies for their opium. His personal opium use and poppy cultivation may as well never have happened.Cont.http://www.cannabisculture.com/v2/content/2010/03/05/How-DEA-Scrubbed-Thomas-Jeffersons-Poppy-Garden-Public-Memory
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Comment #1 posted by HempWorld on March 05, 2010 at 14:18:06 PT
past and present police officers
Uh, why are the police officers there?Are they there to protect their jobs and budgets? Or are they there because they represent we, the people?I'm not surprised they did not come to an agreement!How can you repeal prohibition with police in the room?DUH!
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