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Rhode Island Patient Advocacy Coalition
RIPAC E-News
May 2008 Edition
RI Patient Advocacy Coalition

Welcome to the monthly newsletter of the RI Patient Advocacy Coalition (RIPAC), Rhode Island's medical marijuana community!  Visit our website, www.RIpatients.org.
SPECIAL: 4/14/08 Newport Daily News editorial FOR Compassion Centers!

In this issue:
1. MEDICAL MARIJUANA COMPASSION CENTER BILL VOTE COMING SOON
2.
TELL YOUR DOC: PHYSICIAN EDUCATION CONFERENCE MAY 15
3.
RIPAC TRAINING RI POLICE DEPARTMENTS ON THE MMJ ACT
4. RI PUBLIC HEALTH ASSOCIATION ENDORSES MEDICAL MARIJUANA
5. MAY COMMUNITY MEETING AND CARDHOLDER MEETING
6.
3 WAYS TO HELP THIS MONTH: CALL/EMAIL REPS/SENS & DONATE


1. MEDICAL MARIJUANA COMPASSION CENTER BILL VOTE COMING SOON
  • Use this link to call your RI senator!  The Senate will soon vote on S2693, which would license a non-profit Compassion Center to grow and distribute medical marijuana for patients.
  • The Senate Health and Human Services committee voted unanimously in favor of S2693 on April 9, so we look forward to a strong floor vote from the full Senate.
2. TELL YOUR DOC: PHYSICIAN EDUCATION CONFERENCE MAY 15
  • On May 15, RIPAC will host a Medical Education seminar for RI physicians to learn about medical marijuana from Dr. Donald Abrams of UCSF, a nationally-recognized expert and the only researcher with DEA approval to test marijuana's medical efficacy. 
  • Please tell your doctors to attend this important event! Print out and give them our flyer, and ask them to visit RIpatients.org/MedEd to register in advance.
3. RIPAC TRAINING RI POLICE DEPARTMENTS ON THE MMJ ACT
  • On April 29, RIPAC presented a staff training to the Portsmouth Police Department on the Medical Marijuana Act.
  • This month we'll be presenting trainings to the RI Law Enforcement Trainers Association and several more police departments around the state.
4. RI PUBLIC HEALTH ASSOCIATION ENDORSES MEDICAL MARIJUANA
  • On April 24, the Rhode Island Public Health Association formally endorsed RIPAC's mission and medical marijuana.
  • Previously, the national American Public Health Association endorsed medical marijuana; their resolution is available here.
5. MAY COMMUNITY MEETING AND CARDHOLDER MEETING
  • RIPAC's next open Community Meeting for patients, caregivers, advocates, and anyone else interested in learning more about medical marijuana will be 7:00pm, Tuesday, May 13, at Warwick Knights of Columbus (475 Sandy Lane, Warwick 02889). Contact RIPAC for more information.
  • Our next Cardholder Meeting, only for licensed patients and caregivers in the RI Medical Marijuana Program, will be 7pm, Tuesday, May 27. If you are a licensed patient or caregiver and would like to attend, contact RIPAC here for more details.
6. 3 WAYS TO HELP THIS MONTH: CALL/EMAIL REPS/SENS & DONATE
  • 1. Click here to email your state representative and state senator in support of a compassion center for medical marijuana patients! Also, phone calls are more effective than emails, so:
  • 2. Call your elected officials too! Click here to get your representative's and senator's names and phone numbers, and an optional call script.
  • 3. To sustain our efforts to organize patients and educate our state, please donate to RIPAC at RIpatients.org/donate or by calling 401-861-1601. 
Have a healthy day,
RIPAC
www.RIpatients.org