END PROHIBITION

The coming weeks could bring big changes to Rhode Island's marijuana
policy. Not only are state Sen. Joshua Miller, D-Cranston, and Rep.
John Edwards, D-Tiverton and Portsmouth, pushing to decriminalize
possession of up to one ounce of pot, but the state Department of
Health will soon select up to three applicants to open medical
marijuana dispensaries. This announcement will begin the state's
transition to a medical marijuana system more like California's.

We supported decriminalization efforts last spring, and we encourage
lawmakers to pass Miller's and Edwards' bills. As we wrote last year,
decriminalization will reduce expenditures on enforcement -- Edwards
estimates $1 to $4 million in savings, while Harvard economist
Jeffrey Miron predicts savings could exceed $10 million -- and also
allow the criminal justice system to spend more time dealing with
greater threats to public safety than someone lighting up a joint.

We agree with Edwards that another important reason for
decriminalization is the adverse impact criminal penalties can have
on youth. It cannot be argued that experimentation with drugs
precludes success later in life -- see our current president -- but a
criminal record can significantly hamper a young person's
aspirations. We must stop saddling people with impediments to success
for possessing a drug that many agree is less harmful than tobacco and alcohol.

The state will also benefit from replacing the current medical
marijuana structure with one utilizing dispensaries. Currently, those
granted the right to use medical marijuana can grow it themselves or
buy from a licensed "caregiver." But it can be difficult for patients
to find reliable caregivers, some of whom use a medicinal front to
grow more plants for illegal sale. And even legal operations make
prime targets for robbery, putting citizens at risk.

If a bill introduced by Rep. John Carnevale, D-Providence and
Johnston, passes, only dispensaries will distribute medicinal
marijuana by 2013. Replacing over 2,000 caregivers with a handful of
dispensaries will make it easier for the state to prevent crime and
abuse and ensure standards of service. But we are concerned with a
portion of Carnevale's bill that would put state police instead of
the Department of Health in charge of "inspections and records
reviews." Patients who are entitled to medicinal marijuana under
state law should not have to encounter police at a dispensary --
particularly since marijuana possession would remain a federal felony
- -- just as we do not run into cops at a pharmacy.

It is disappointing that few public officials are suggesting that the
state go further and legalize marijuana. Legalization is more radical
than decriminalization, but given Miron's estimate that the state
could save upwards of $40 million by doing so, we believe the option
should at least receive more serious debate. Miller told the
editorial page board that legalization is neither politically
realistic nor viable given federal law prohibiting marijuana. But
opponents of legalization and federal officials will not be persuaded
to reconsider without any proposals on the table.

Nevertheless, decriminalization and dispensaries would constitute
important progress. Besides the practical benefits these measures
promise, they could help reduce the stigma surrounding marijuana that
stifles open debate on more ambitious ideas like legalization. We
allow adults to responsibly use tobacco and alcohol. Marijuana, which
is no more dangerous, should be treated similarly.