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People in pain, such as those seeking relief from the ravages of cancer and its treatment, should be able to obtain marijuana safely to ease their distress. The General Assembly showed compassion and wisdom in voting to create state-licensed dispensaries for the drug.

The margins of the vote were so great that the legislature could easily override any veto by Governor Carcieri. So this will become law.

Still, let’s not kid ourselves: This change will come at a cost. The centers will, no doubt, send a signal that marijuana use is not all that bad. A government stamp of approval on marijuana will remove another barrier against this drug, surely encouraging its use by some citizens, most regrettably impressionable teenagers.

Yet, all in all, the benefits of aiding those in pain, and giving very sick people the freedom to treat themselves as they and their doctors wish with maximum safety, outweigh the cost.

Since 2006, Rhode Island has permitted citizens, with their doctor’s approval, to use marijuana legally to treat pain. But those who wished to do so still had the challenge of obtaining the drug, sometimes turning to shady characters selling it illegally on the street. Frail patients testified to lawmakers that they had been robbed or beaten trying to obtain marijuana. So state-sanctioned dispensaries make sense.

There is still the problem of the clash between state and federal drug laws. Under President Bush, U.S. drug agents raided marijuana suppliers in California — absurdly, as if there were not more serious drug cases to pursue. The Obama administration has pledged it will not enforce the law in that manner, but that could turn with the political tide. Ultimately, Congress should revise federal drug laws to permit the regulated sale of marijuana in such centers.