Rhode Island Marijuana Legalization Bill Will Be Ready In Early 2022, Top Lawmaker Says – Marijuana Moment

A top Rhode Island lawmaker on Thursday said that a bill to legalize marijuana in the Ocean State is nearly finalized, with just one major provision left to resolve following months of negotiationsand that he expects the issue to be resolved early in the new year.

House Speaker Joe Shekarchi (D) told WPRI-TV that while legislators are still not there on a final product, hes happy to report that weve worked down to almost one issue thats left, but its not there yet. That issue relates to who should regulate the cannabis marketa new independent commission or the state Department of Business Regulation (DBR).

The speaker, who previously said that hed be open to a compromise on the question of who should regulate the market, floated the idea that there could ultimately be some combination thereof or some hybrid version of it.

Top lawmakers have been in talks for months to reconcile competing legalization proposals that have been brought forward by the House, Senate and governors officeand at one point planned to convene a fall special session to enact the resulting deal, but that hasnt happened.

I have another meeting next week. I hope to wrap it up, Shekarchi said in the new interview, adding that I expect youll see that [final bill] in the first quarter of 2022.

Watch Shekarchi talk about the status of negotiations over a marijuana legalization bill in the video below:

Were studying other states. But the marijuana bill in general is a very complicated piece of legislation, he said. People just say legalize it. It touches very different areas of the law. It touches taxation. We have to make sure that were doing it right.

He also said that lawmakers are talking about some kind of a expungement process that would be built into the bill as wellso its a very comprehensive bill. Its a very thick bill. And its in a lot of different areas of law, and I want to make sure we do it right.

Ive always said, I dont necessarily want to be the first, I want to be the best.

Sen. Josh Miller (D), sponsor of one legalization proposal that was approved in the Senate earlier this year, similarly said in October that regulatory responsibility remained to be a sticking point in negotiations.

It appears that another outstanding issue related to how many marijuana business licenses should be approved has been resolved, given the speakers new comments. Millers bill proposed as many as 150 cannabis shops, whereas Gov. Dan McKees (D) plancalled for 25 and Rep. Scott Slater (D) wanted just 15 in his separate House bill.

Negotiators also recently reached an agreement 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 theres already a sufficient supply to meet demand in the adult-use market.

Marijuana Moment is already tracking more than 1,300 cannabis, psychedelics and drug policy bills in state legislatures and Congress this year. Patreon supporters pledging at least $25/month get access to our interactive maps, charts and hearing calendar so they dont miss any developments.Learn more about our marijuana bill tracker and become a supporter on Patreon to get access.

But regulatory authority still needs to be hashed out.

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 Islands medical marijuana program.

Senate President Dominick Ruggerio (D), for his part, said in September that lawmakers are very close to reaching a deal on a marijuana legalization bill.

We sent legislationwhich we think is a very good piece of legislationover to the House before we left in June, the senator said, referring to the legalization bill that his chamber approvedin June. They are working on that legislation with some of the House people at this point in time.

What remains to be seen is whether the negotiated legalization bill thats ultimately produced will satisfy advocates and progressive lawmakers, some of whom haverallied behind an agenda for reformthat emphasizes the need for bold social equity provisions.

While each of the competing bills contain components meant to address the harms of marijuana criminalization, the coalition led by Reclaim Rhode Island says theyre 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.

We cant 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, Rep. Karen Alzate (D), chair of the Rhode Island Legislative Black and Latino Caucus, said in September. This bold legalization plan offers us the chance to turn a new leaf for the Ocean State, and its time we take it.

Ruggerio, for his part, said he does feel that the legalization bill that was approved in the Senatecontained very strong social justice provisions and the expungements provision is as close to automatic as practical.

Reclaim Rhode Island isnt the only group pushing lawmakers to expeditiously work to pass legalization. Its part of a coalition of 10 civil rights and drug policy reform advocacy groupsincluding the Rhode Island chapters of the ACLU and NAACPthat recently demanded thatlawmakers move ahead with enacting marijuana reformin the state before the end of 2021.

Shekarchi said in July that while theres not yet a consensus among legislators and the governor on a deal to legalize marijuana,its still a workable issue and would be prioritized if lawmakers convened a special session this fall.

Slater recently told Marijuana Moment that things are still where they were prior to the end of sessionbut lawmakers are trying to figure out areconciliation between my bill, the Senates and the governors.

Meetings over the summer had been mostly informal, the representative said. I think we can get there before next year. It will not be perfect, and I am sure a work in progress.

Ruggerio said in July that hesnot disappointed the House hasnt advanced legalization legislationyet and that what we really wanted to do was send it over and have them take a look at itwhen his chamber passed its cannabis reform measure.

Shekarchi, for his part, previously said thathe feels reform is inevitable.

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 once the legislation is passed and whatever form is passed in, the communities have an opportunity to opt out.

They have an opportunity to opt out if the community doesnt want to participate in it, he said. Thats their decisionhowever, they dont get the funds that would come from the sales in that community.

The majority leader also noted that neighboring states likeConnecticut and Massachusetts have enacted legalization, and that adds impetus for the legislature to pursue reform in the state.

Shekarchi, meanwhile, said in July that he doesnt 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.

The House Finance Committeeheld a hearing on Slaters legalization measurein June.

The governor previously told reporters that while he backs legalization it is not like one of my highest priorities, adding that were not in a race with Connecticut or Massachusetts on this issue.

I think we need to get it right, he said, pointing to ongoing discussions with the House and Senate.

The House Finance Committee discussed the governors proposal to end prohibitionat an earlier hearing in April.

Both the governor and the leaders legalization plans are notably different than the proposal that former Gov. Gina Raimondo (D) had included in her budget last year. Prior toleaving office to join the Biden administrationas commerce secretary, shecalled for legalization through a state-run model.

McKee gave initial insights into his perspective on the reform in January, saying that its time that [legalization] happens and that hes moreleaning towards an entrepreneurial strategythere to let that roll that way.

Shekarchi, meanwhile, has said hesabsolutely open to the idea of cannabis legalizationand also leans toward privatization.

Late last year, the Senate Finance Committeebegan preliminary consideration of legalizationin preparation for the 2021 session, with lawmakers generally accepting the reform as an inevitability. I certainly do think well act on the issue, whether its more private or more state, Sen. Ryan Pearson (D), who now serves as the panels chairman, said at the time.

Meanwhile, the governor in Julysigned a historic bill to allow safe consumption siteswhere 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.

The Senate Judiciary Committee also held a hearing in March on legislation that wouldend criminal penalties for possessing small amounts of drugsand replace them with a $100 fine.

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Rhode Island Marijuana Legalization Bill Will Be Ready In Early 2022, Top Lawmaker Says - Marijuana Moment