About us!
Rhode Island Patient Advocacy Coalition (RIPAC) is Rhode Island's non-profit grassroots medical marijuana community. Patients, caregivers, doctors, nurses, health care providers, advocates, lawyers, organizations, and residents are invited to join our coalition.
The RIPAC Story
Summary
RIPAC was founded in 2003 on the principle that patients whose doctors recommend medical marijuana should have safe access to this medicine. We organized patient testimony that led to the 2006 passage of the Medical Marijuana Act, and the 2007 amendment making the Act permanent. Since then, we have held monthly meetings to connect the patient community.
History of the RI Patient Advocacy Coalition
In September 2002, activists at Brown University founded a chapter of the national organization Students for Sensible Drug Policy (SSDP). Through SSDP, they met the leader of the URI chapter, Tom Angell of Warwick. Tom's mother Rhonda suffers from multiple sclerosis, and her doctor had already recommended that she use marijuana to relieve the burning pain in her legs--but she feared arrest. Rhode Island's SSDP members decided that criminalizing seriously ill people who use marijuana is the most egregious harm of our state's and our country's drug policy, and resolved to ensure patients' safe access to medicine.
In April 2003, they organized the Brown University Students for Sensible Drug Policy Medical Marijuana Symposium to call local attention to patients' plight. Patients, legislators, doctors, nurses, students, and advocates gathered for this event, which culminated with a press conference that was picked up by local media outlets including radio, television, and print sources. Senator Rhoda Perry and Representative Steven Costantino spoke of their past sponsorship of medical marijuana legislation. Other speakers included Allen St. Pierre of National Organization for Reform of Marijuana Laws, Bruce Mirken of Marijuana Policy Project, Dr. John Morgan of CUNY Medical School, Fatema Gunja of the ACLU Drug Policy Litigation Project, Ann McCormick of Women's Organization for National Prohibition Repeal, and Keith Saunders of MassCann.
In August 2003, Tom returned to Providence to meet with two of the leaders from the Brown chapter, Nathaniel Lepp and Jesse Stout. The goal of the meeting was to find ways to leverage the momentum from the Symposium to effect change in state law. The group soon realized that more influential community members would need to speak out. Tom called the RI ACLU and asked, "Do you support medical marijuana?" The ACLU said, "Of course," and our coalition was born. Next Rhonda, who's a nurse, asked the RI State Nurses Association to join, and they said yes too. Then came the RI Medical Society...
In December 2003, Tom and Nathaniel sent a grant application to the Marijuana Policy Project on behalf of RIPAC. The application invited MPP into Rhode Island, pitching them on the idea that this small, word-of-mouth-driven state was ripe for change. MPP accepted this proposal, and RIPAC received our first funding.
In March 2004, RIPAC's advocacy efforts recruiting statewide health and justice organizations to support medical marijuana, and recruiting patients to testify to its medical benefits, led to the first House of Representatives committee hearing on the topic. For the first time, patients had the opportunity to speak truth to power by telling their personal stories in public. Unfortunately, the bill was not heard in the Senate.
In June 2005, Senator Rhoda Perry and Representative Tom Slater had re-introduced the bill, and it had been heard and passed by both houses, but the Governor vetoed it. The Senate overrode his veto within 24 hours. Heating up...
On January 3, 2006, RIPAC advocates and patients gathered in the gallery overlooking the House of Representatives. Representative Slater formally introduced Rhonda as a guest in the House Chamber. Then the House voted 59-13 to override the Governor's veto, making the Rhode Island Medical Marijuana Act a law!
In May 2006, the Department of Health's new Medical Marijuana Program began issuing license cards to the first few patients to have obtained their doctors' recommendations. Then Jesse, Nathaniel, and the original crop of Brown SSDP activists graduated. Along with student Trevor Stutz, they resolved to commit RIPAC to continuing to advocate for patients. The law needed to be made permanent and needed to provide for safe access, and patients needed opportunities to become organized and meet one another, to combat the dual stigmas of being chronically ill and using a recently illegal medication.
In August 2006, RIPAC was recognized as a domestic non-profit corporation in the State of RI. RIPAC applied to the IRS for (and was eventually granted) 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status. Executive Director Jesse Stout became the organization's first full-time employee. Jesse's first tasks were to build RIpatients.org and to publish the RIPAC pamphlet which the Department of Health MMP now provides to new patients. This began RIPAC's campaign to remove the "sunset clause" under which the Medical Marijuana Act would have expired 6/30/07.
In February 2007, RIPAC organized the first Community Meeting for Rhode Islanders interested in medical marijuana to centrally gather and discuss the topic openly. Nine people attended. The group shared stories, and resolved (successfully) to gather twice as many people at another meeting the following month. The monthly Community Meeting continues to this day.
In March 2007, House and Senate committees held hearings on the bill to make the Medical Marijuana Act permanent. RIPAC organized testimony from Rep. Slater, five patients, three doctors, and representatives of the ACLU, the Medical Society, the State Nurses Association, and AIDS Project RI. Both committees later passed the legislation.
In May 2007, RIPAC held our first accredited Continuing Medical Education seminar for Rhode Island doctors to earn professional education credits for learning about medical marijuana from a national expert. Also, the House and Senate passed the permanent version of the Medical Marijuana Act.
In June 2007, Governor Carcieri vetoed the permanent Act and the Senate overrode his veto 29-4, On June 21, 2007, just nine days before the Medical Marijuana Act would have expired, the House also (58-11) overrode the Governor's veto--making the Act permanent!
In July 2007, RIPAC organized the first Patient Meeting, only for licensed patients and their caregivers. This is a monthly opportunity to patients to build and and maintain mutual support networks around the issue of medical marijuana, in an intimate environment. It has also become an educational venue, with presentations on cannabis cultivation and by healthcare practitioners. Also in July, RIPAC held our first annual fundraiser party.
In September 2007, the Providence Sunday Journal published an Extra section with a feature article about medical marijuana patients Rhonda O'Donnell, Kelly Powers, Bobbie Ebert, and Denis Dubois. This excellent article marked a turning point for RIPAC; it was the first story that our state's paper of record published about RI medical marijuana patients since they became permanently protected from criminal prosecution.
In December 2007, RIPAC hired Associate Director JoAnne Leppanen, the organization's second full-time employee, and opened our office in Wayland Square in Providence. Also in December, at the annual in-person Board of Directors meeting, the Board formally decided to pursue safe access for patients and to call non-profit distributors "compassion centers."
In March 2008, RIPAC conducted our first accredited Continuing Legal Education seminar for Rhode Island lawyers to earn professional credits for learning about medical marijuana. The class was organized by the Office of the Public Defender and the RI Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers.
In April 2008, House and Senate committees held hearings on legislation to provide patients safe access to medical marijuana through independent non-profit compassion centers. Rep. Slater, four patients, four doctors, and representatives of RIPAC, the Medical Society, the State Nurses Association, the ACLU, and the Community HIV/AIDS Mobilization Project all testified. NBC Channel 10 News interviewed Jesse and patients Bobbi Brady-Cataldo, Bobbie Ebert, and Mary Anne. Also, the Portsmouth Police became the first town department to have its staff trained about medical marijuana by RIPAC.
In May 2008, RIPAC conducted our first accredited Continuing Nursing Education seminar for Rhode Island nurses to earn professional credits for learning about medical marijuana. The course was organized by the Visiting Nurse Service of Newport and Bristol Counties. We also held our second CME seminar for doctors, featuring Dr. Donald Abrams. The Pawtucket Police became the first city department to have its staff trained about medical marijuana by RIPAC. Also, the Senate passed the compassion center bill, though the House never voted.
In June 2008, RIPAC organized our first-ever Regional Meeting, a chance for patients and their caregivers to gather closer to home to discuss medical marijuana from a local perspective, in South County. Also in June, Providence Monthly magazine published a great photo-essay on medical marijuana featuring Jesse Stout and patients George DesRoches and Bobbie Ebert.
In March 2009, Rep. Slater and Sen. Perry having re-introduced the compassion center bill, House and Senate committees again held hearings on the legislation. This time, RIPAC volunteers recorded the testimony, enabling us to post the videos on YouTube. Then in April, both committees passed their bills unanimously, and the full Senate passed theirs 35-2.
In May 2009, the House of Representatives passed the compassion center bill by 63-5. Stephen Hogan Jr. joined RIPAC as our new executive director, taking over from Jesse Stout.
Finally, on June 16 2009, the House and Senate overrode the Governor's first veto of the year by votes of 67-0 and 35-3, respectively, making Rhode Island patients' safe access to medical marijuana a reality once and for all!
Onward...
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