Join Newsletter

ABC News: John Stossel's Take
Rhode Island Legislature Overrides Governor’s Veto of Medical Marijuana
June 23, 2024

Last week, Rhode Island’s legislature voted overwhelmingly to override their governor’s veto of a Medical Marijuana bill, making them the first East Coast state to approve medical marijuana dispensaries.

Reason’s invaluable Jacob Sullum is impressed by the vote total:

“An eye-opening 68 to 0 in the House and a slightly less lopsided 35 to 3 in the Senate.”

Of course, as I’ve reported before, it’s not clear how the federal government will respond. Earlier this month, Charlie Lynch was sentenced to one year in federal prison for running a medical marijuana dispensary in California. Lynch’s dispensary was raided during the Bush Administration. Although the Obama administration recently announced it would stop raiding dispensaries in states that allow medical marijuana, and Charlie Lynch’s judge initially delayed sentencing to allow Obama’s Justice Department to intervene, Justice declined. In a statement released in April, the Department called Lynch's conviction "entirely consistent with the policies of DOJ and with public statements made by the attorney general."

Huh? I cannot understand how locking Lynch up is “consistent” with anything fair.