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Rhode Island lawmakers push to legalize marijuana, following Massachusetts
Source: Reuters
U.S. | Wed Jan 11, 2017 | 3:22pm EST
Rhode Island lawmakers push to legalize marijuana, following Massachusetts
A pair of lawmakers want to make Rhode Island the ninth U.S. state to legalize recreational marijuana and the first to do so through the legislature rather than with a ballot initiative, they said on Tuesday.
State Senator Joshua Miller and state Representative Scott Slater, both Democrats, want to prevent Rhode Island residents from simply buying the drug in neighboring Massachusetts, which approved recreational use in a November ballot.
"Our constituents think it is time for lawmakers to pass this legislation, and we should listen to them," Miller said in a statement. "If we fail to pass the bill this year, we will lose significant ground to Massachusetts."
Democrats control both chambers of the state legislature and Governor Gina Raimondo, also a Democrat, has said she would be open to the idea of legalization.
The proposal, which has not yet been formally submitted in the legislature, would allow adults aged 21 and above to use the drug for recreational purposes and impose a 23 percent tax on the drug.
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Rhode Island lawmakers push to legalize marijuana, following Massachusetts
A pair of lawmakers want to make Rhode Island the ninth U.S. state to legalize recreational marijuana and the first to do so through the legislature rather than with a ballot initiative, they said on Tuesday.
State Senator Joshua Miller and state Representative Scott Slater, both Democrats, want to prevent Rhode Island residents from simply buying the drug in neighboring Massachusetts, which approved recreational use in a November ballot.
"Our constituents think it is time for lawmakers to pass this legislation, and we should listen to them," Miller said in a statement. "If we fail to pass the bill this year, we will lose significant ground to Massachusetts."
Democrats control both chambers of the state legislature and Governor Gina Raimondo, also a Democrat, has said she would be open to the idea of legalization.
The proposal, which has not yet been formally submitted in the legislature, would allow adults aged 21 and above to use the drug for recreational purposes and impose a 23 percent tax on the drug.
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Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-rhode-island-marijuana-idUSKBN14V2IM