Last Chance For Medical Marijuana In Rhode Island
Take Action Now!

Friends:

This past summer, NORML informed you that the Rhode Island State Legislature passed the Edward O. Hawkins and Thomas C. Slater Medical Marijuana Act, a bill to legally protect sick and dying medical marijuana patients from arrest and criminal prosecution. This bill was subsequently vetoed by Governor Carcieri. In order for the legislature to override this veto, each chamber must vote in favor of the bill by a 3/5 majority. The Senate has already voted to override Governor Carcieri's veto, so it is now up to the House of Representatives to vote to make medical marijuana a legal reality in Rhode Island.

If approved, the Edward O. Hawkins and Thomas C. Slater Medical Marijuana Act would allow state-authorized patients with a doctor's permission to legally possess up to 2.5 ounces of cannabis and/or 12 plants under state law. Patients who are legally authorized to use medical cannabis in other states will also receive statewide protection in Rhode Island under the Act.

The House of Representatives initially passed this legislation with by a vote of 52-10, so clearly enough support exists for Assembly members to override the Governor's veto. However, the Assembly has yet to vote on the measure. The last chance for this to happen will come on Jan. 3, when the General Assembly returns for its 2006 session. The House of Representatives, whose 2005 session is still technically in recess, could vote to override before formally adjourning the previous session and starting a new one. That is why it is vital that you contact your State House Representative TODAY and urge them to vote in favor of a veto override of the Medical Marijuana Act.

NORML has created pre-written letters that you can send to your representative.

These letters are available at: http://capwiz.com/norml2/issues/aler...777301&type=TA

Once you have sent a letter, please consider calling your Representative to urge their support on this important issue. You can find your Representative's phone number here: http://www.rilin.state.ri.us/Email/R...stDistrict.asp

Please help support NORML's State Legislative reform efforts by donating today at: http://www.norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=3443

Thank you for doing your part to protect medical cannabis patients in Rhode Island.

Sincerely,

Paul Armentano

Senior Policy Analyst

NORML