MEDICAL MARIJUANA

An Uphill Battle, Despite Legislative Support

Proponents of an effort to make medical marijuana available to seriously
ill patients in Rhode Island are heartened by a strong level of legislative
support -- bills introduced by Senator Rhoda Perry (D-Providence) and
Representative Thomas Slater (D-Providence) have respectively attracted 18
and 50 cosponsors. The greatest stumbling block appears to be Governor
Donald L. Carcieri, who, as something of a traditional Republican, seems
unlikely to back a measure opposed by the federal government.

Bruce Mirken, a spokesman for the Washington, DC-based Marijuana Policy
Project (MPP), points to the high degree of General Assembly backing in
saying, "There really is no reason that this should not reach the
governor's desk this year." Carcieri spokesman Jeff Neal was noncommittal
about the outlook, saying, "The governor hasn't had an opportunity to
review the bill, and right now, we're not prepared to express a position,
one way or another." Still, support for the measure from Carcieri, an
enthusiastic supporter of President George W. Bush, appears unlikely.

The medical marijuana bill has made steady progress since Perry introduced
it in a different format in 1997. Groups backing the current measure
include AIDS Project Rhode Island, the Rhode Island Medical Society, the
Rhode Island chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union, the Rhode
Island State Nurses Association, and more than 100 local physicians.
According to the MPP, a March 2004 Zogby poll of Rhode Island voters showed
69 percent favored legislation allowing seriously ill patients "to use and
grow their own medical marijuana for medical purposes, so long as their
physician approves."

MPP says 10 states -- the closest are Maine and Vermont -- have medical
marijuana laws protecting patients and their caregivers from arrest and
imprisonment. In general, though, says Mirken, it remains akin to pulling
teeth to pass similar measures in more states -- in large part because of
the lingering effects of the drug war and politicians' subsequent
disinclination to be labeled as being "soft on drugs."

A growing level of public support augurs well for the eventual passage of a
medical marijuana law in Rhode Island, but, given prevailing political
trends, that day seems likely to remain off in the future.