CARCIERI VETOES MARIJUANA, MINIMUM-WAGE BILLS

Sponsors of the Medical Marijuana Legislation Say They Will Try for
an Override, and Believe It Will Prevail.

PROVIDENCE -- Governor Carcieri yesterday vetoed legislation to
legalize the medical use of marijuana in Rhode Island, saying the
proposal's "noble goals cannot mask its serious safety flaws."

"Our desire as public servants to be compassionate must be balanced
by our obligation to ensure public safety," he said. "The flaws
inherent in this bill will place our children at an increased risk of
abusing marijuana . . . [and] give our citizens a false sense of
security against criminal prosecution."

Carcieri also rejected legislation that would have raised the state's
hourly minimum wage from $6.75 to $7.10 in January, and $7.40 a year
after that.

The governor said the change would "do nothing but exact another cost
on Rhode Island businesses, especially small businesses."

Sponsors of the medical marijuana bill said they would seek a veto
override, and believe it would prevail. The House approved the
legislation by a vote of 52 to 10 last week and the Senate approved
it 33 to 1 on Tuesday.

The bill proposes to protect patients from arrest under state law for
using marijuana to treat symptoms of certain serious and chronic
illnesses, including multiple sclerosis and cancer. Patients whose
doctors recommended the treatment would receive registration cards
from the state to allow them, or their caregivers, to possess up to
12 plants, or 2.5 ounces of marijuana.

Two representatives from the White House's drug policy office spent
most of yesterday and Tuesday urging lawmakers and Carcieri's staff
to oppose the bill, reiterating that it would violate federal law and
noting that the Food and Drug Administration does not consider the
drug a safe and effective medicine for pain relief.

Carcieri, in his veto message, called marijuana an "addictive
narcotic" and said the bill would increase its availability in the
state. He said "nearly anyone" would be able to grow the drug "in
nearly any private location," and called the amount people would be
authorized to possess "staggering."

He said the bill was "full of other loopholes," including making no
provision for how people obtain the seeds to grow the plants. The
governor also said the debate over whether marijuana can help
patients is "by no means settled."

The bill carried the name of Edward O. Hawkins, the nephew of state
Sen. Rhoda Perry, D-Providence, who died of AIDS.

Carcieri's concerns have "all already been answered" in testimony on
the bill, Perry said. "I don't think there's one thing in his veto
message that would change my mind . . . and I'm pretty certain it
won't change anybody else's mind easily."

Perry said suggestions that the drug would become more accessible to
teens were "totally wrong." She said that in the 10 other states that
have set up similar programs, "it just has not happened."

Rep. Thomas Slater, D-Providence, the House sponsor, said:
"Apparently the governor doesn't want to listen to the House, he
doesn't want to listen to the Senate, and he doesn't want to listen
to 70 percent of the people of Rhode Island.

"He wants to listen to the people that come in from Washington, D.C.,
to push against this bill."

Neal Levine, director of state policies for the Marijuana Policy
Project in Washington, D.C., which has lobbied heavily in favor of
the bill, said it was fortunate "the Rhode Island General Assembly
seems to have more compassion than the governor."

Carcieri's rejection of the minimum-wage bill drew a rebuke from
House Speaker Pro Tempore Charlene Lima, D-Cranston, its House
sponsor, who said she was "surprised at the governor's insensitivity
to the working men and women of this state."

"I don't know how he can justify giving big tax breaks to GTECH and
Fidelity and at the same time not allow the working men and women of
this state to earn a decent wage -- not a living wage -- a decent
wage so they'd be able to afford the increased cost of utilities and
gasoline and to put food on their table," she said.

The governor yesterday also vetoed a bill that would have exempted
prepaid wireless telephone cards from the state's gift-card laws.
Carcieri said the bill appeared to be "special-interest legislation."