WRNI RI Public Radio Transcripts 4/2/08
Rhode Islanders need a legal place to buy marijuana. That’s according to the Rhode Island Patient Advocacy Coalition, which says the state put terminally ill people in a bind when it legalized medical marijuana but established nowhere to buy it. The group testified at a hearing last night on a bill to establish a marijuana distribution site. Jesse Stout, the executive director of Rhode Island Patient Advocacy Coalition, describes what he envisions for the center.“A friendly, yet secure environment where patients can conveniently go in and show proper identification and then be able to access not only marijuana but a plethora of health care resources.”
The center would be licensed by the state health department and run by a non-profit. Senator Rhoda Perry and Representative Thomas Slater are among the bill sponsors
Now that medical marijuana is legal in Rhode Island, patients need a legal way to buy it. That’s according to the Rhode Island Patient Advocacy Coalition. They’re encouraging legislators to support a bill to establish a marijuana distribution center. Jesse Stout, executive director of the Rhode Island patient advocacy coalition, says although some patients grow their own or receive marijuana from caregivers, not everyone has that option.
“They either can’t grow because they can’t afford the expensive lighting necessary. They can’t grow because they’re just not good at gardening, they might not happen to have a have a trusted friend who already knows how to grow marijuana, so they end up having no access at all.”
The distribution center would be licensed by the Department of Health and run by a non-profit. A public hearing on the bill begins at four thirty this afternoon.