MORE QUESTIONS THAN ANSWERS AT COMPASSION CENTER MEETING

PROVIDENCE — About 60 people crowded into a basement auditorium in the
Cannon Building Tuesday seeking answers about the formation of three
"compassion centers," where licensed patients would be able to buy
marijuana.

But it quickly became apparent that there were more questions than
answers.

Charles Alexandre, a top health official, and Gregory Madoian, a
lawyer for the Health Department, patiently went through the recently
revised community review draft of the Medical Marijuana Program
legislation that lawmakers approved in June.

Along the way, those in attendance raised questions about dozens of
provisions in the 22-page document.

With a few exceptions, Alexandre and Madoian could not provide details
beyond the printed law before them.

An eclectic group showed up for the meeting. There were young
professionals in sport coats and ties, aging hippies with gray
ponytails and tattoos, 20-something men in backward baseball caps and
women who ranged in age from their early 20s to almost 70.

The group also included at least one physician and a ranking officer
from the Rhode Island State Police.

Most of them are among the state's 900 licensed medical marijuana
users, or part of the 725 or so licensed caregivers who are allowed to
grow up to 24 marijuana plants for patients who have been approved for
the medicinal marijuana program.

Capt. David S. Neill, state police detective commander, peppered
Alexandre with a series of questions about the compassion centers. In
response, Alexandre conceded that the Health Department "registers"
caregivers and patients, but "we don't go out in the community" and
conduct inspections.

Alexandre also said that the Health Department conducts Bureau of
Criminal Identification, BCI, checks on those involved in the medical
marijuana program, but he also conceded that no checks are made
through the National Criminal Identification Center, or NCIC. The BCI
check covers only someone arrested and convicted in Rhode Island.

Under the law, anyone with a felony drug conviction is barred from the
program or working at a compassion center, but Neill pointed out that
a BCI check would show no evidence of a felony conviction outside of
Rhode Island.

Another man in attendance wondered if a compassion center could use a
van to ship drugs to South County for patients. Neill spoke up and
said that criminals could target the van and steal the marijuana.

Mike Paliotta, a licensed caregiver, said that he is interested in
opening a compassion center, possibly in the West End of Providence.
He asked what kind of security system the law will require — steel
doors, card security, video cameras?

Alexandre did not have an answer.

Another asked Alexandre about a passage in the law that prohibits a
compassion center from operating within 500 feet of a school. He
wondered if a licensed daycare center or home daycare center would
qualify as a school.

Alexandre did not have an answer.

Kirk Manter, plant manager for the Rhode Island Compassion Club, had a
question about what the compassion center would do with excess
marijuana after someone else asked whether, "I can give the leftover
marijuana to other patients."

Said Alexandre: "The statute doesn't speak to that."

William P. Dundulis Jr., of the Health Department, said that there may
be another informal question-and-answer meeting before a final public
hearing in the coming months. He said that it's a safe bet that the
first compassion center will not be ready to open until sometime next
year.