May 2012
290 posts
Rhode Island: Governor Signs Legislation Authorizing State-Licensed Medical Marijuana ‘Compassion Centers’ →
blog.norml.org
(NORML) Governor Lincoln Chafee signed legislation into law this weekauthorizing for the creation of state-licensed ‘compassion centers’ to engage in the production and distribution of cannabis for authorized patients. It is the second time since 2009 that state lawmakers have approved legislation allowing for the state regulation of medical marijuana facilities.
Under the new law, Senate Bill 2555, health regulators will license three not-for-profit entities, known as ‘compassion centers,’ to operate within the state. Compassion centers will not be allowed to cultivate more than 150 cannabis plants on the premises at any one time, only 99 of which may be mature. Centers will also be restricted to possessing no more than 1,500 ounces of usable product at any one time.
Lawmakers have suggested that the imposed statutory limits will lower the likelihood of federal law enforcement officials interfering with the implementation of the law. At least one other state, New Mexico,imposes similar caps on authorized dispensaries.
Medical Marijuana 101: You Can't Smoke That On Campus →
npr.org
(NPR) Medical marijuana is legal in 16 states, and that number is expected to grow. But these state laws put colleges in a bind. That’s because under federal law, marijuana is still illegal. So colleges that let students make use of their pot prescription on campus risk losing their federal funding.
For 25-year-old University of Maine junior Robyn Smith, this situation has led to a new kind of “reefer madness”: Even though he has his doctor’s authorization to use medical marijuana, when he self-medicates, Smith either goes home or retreats to his SUV, which he parks across the street from the university so that he doesn’t violate school policies on smoking and drug use on campus.
Smith is an Army veteran who spent 15 months in Afghanistan; he has been diagnosed with anxiety and a joint disorder. He also suffers from severe and frequent migraines. He has been prescribed a half-dozen painkillers and other drugs to ease his symptoms — and he’s free to bring those on campus. But Smith says he doesn’t like the way they make him feel. He also worries about becoming dependent on them. Instead, he prefers medical marijuana.
