Rep. Corvese to File Bill Making Identities of Medical Marijuana Providers Public Info
Tuesday, December 13, 2016
State Rep. Arthur Corvese is getting ready to file legislation to make public the names of all providers of medical marijuana licensed in Rhode Island. The legislation is aimed at improving transparency, and allowing neighborhoods to know whether marijuana is being produced nearby, or whether someone producing it legally under the auspices of the medical marijuana program.
“The list of other providers who are licensed by the state, from pharmacies to something as innocuous as barbers and hairdressers, is a matter of public record. But our current medical marijuana law doesn’t provide the same transparency for medical marijuana providers, even though there is significant potential for illegal use of the product they are providing. If we are going to legally recognize marijuana as a medicine, we should subject its distribution to the same standards as other medicinal substances and allow the public to know who is licensed as a medical marijuana provider,” said Corvese.
Corvese is working with legislative staff to draft the bill, which he plans to introduce in the new legislative session that starts in January.
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As of October, 2,820 individuals were licensed as caregivers under Rhode Island’s medical marijuana program. Each can legally grow and provide marijuana to up to five patients and may hold up to as many as 24 mature marijuana plants and five ounces of usable marijuana total for his or her patients.
“It’s often apparent to the neighbors when someone is selling drugs illegally. Allowing the public to know who is a legitimate caregiver and who is not can be helpful in getting people to report those who are just street-level illegal drug dealers as well as caregivers who are abusing the program and fueling drug abuse in their neighborhoods. There’s no legitimate reason this information should be kept secret from the public when providers of other drugs are disclosed,” said Corvese.
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