Marijuana legalization is “inevitable” in Rhode Island and bound to happen “soon,” House Speaker Joseph Shekarchi (D) said on Wednesday. But while he plans to continue negotiations to merge competing for reform proposals over the summer with the goal of passing a bill in the fall, the top lawmaker told WPRI-TV that he wants to get the details right without rushing and he’s not sure if legalization will happen before the end of 2021. As in other recent interviews, Shekarchi said he doesn’t intend to let regional pressure dictate the timeline for when Rhode Island enacts a policy change. But it is the case that legalization has now gone into effect in surrounding states like Connecticut and Massachusetts. “I’m not in any hurry to legalize marijuana for the sake of legalizing it. I want to do it right,” he said. “It doesn’t matter to me if we’re the last state in the union to legalize it or we never legalize it, but I need to do it right.” “I need to make sure that we do this right for the taxpayers of Rhode Island and for the medical community, the business community,” he continued.
Kyle Jaeger, Marijuana Moment, 07/08/2021 09:07:00