Rhode Island House passes compassion center bill with veto-proof majority

(ABC6.com) STATE HOUSE – The House today voted 63 to 5 to approve legislation to allow the creation of compassion centers to dispense marijuana to patients in the state’s medical marijuana program.

If the legislation (2009-H 5359A), which is sponsored by Rep. Thomas C. Slater (D-Dist. 10, Providence), is enacted, Rhode Island would join California and New Mexico as the only states that allow medical marijuana dispensaries.

The bill amends the original medical marijuana act to create nonprofit compassion centers that would be registered by the Department of Health to distribute marijuana or related items to people registered with the state’s medical marijuana program. The bill sets a limit of three compassion centers statewide.

“Without the threat of federal raids, there’s no practical reason not to develop a safe way for patients to access this drug. When we recognize that patients need marijuana to ease their pain and the federal government isn’t standing in the way, it’s cruel to refuse to allow them a safe means to get it,” said Representative Slater, who added that he hopes there would be enough support for the legislation to override a veto if necessary. The Senate passed Senator Perry’s version of the bill with a 35-to-2 vote.

The General Assembly overrode a gubernatorial veto to create the state’s medical marijuana program in January 2006. The bill was the results of years of effort by Representative Slater and Senator Perry, and it was a very personal campaign for both. Representative Slater has been diagnosed with two types of cancer and is currently undergoing treatment. He is one of four of the six siblings in his family with the disease and lost his father, brother and uncle to cancer.

Senator Perry’s nephew, Edward O. Hawkins, died four years ago after a long battle with AIDS. As Hawkins suffered and wasted away in his final months, his family offered to get him marijuana to ease his pain and nausea, but he refused for fear of arrest.

Senate = 32 to 2

House = 63 to 5

The impotence of Gov. Carcieri’s veto pen = priceless.