A Rhode Island Senate committee on Tuesday held the first hearing on a much-anticipated bill to legalize marijuana in the state. But while activists are eager to end cannabis criminalization, the measure faced pushback over a key provision concerning the proposed process for expunging prior convictions. The bill from Sen. Joshua Miller (D), which was unveiled earlier this month, was heard in the Senate Judiciary Committee. A companion House version from Rep. Scott Slater (D) has not yet been scheduled for a committee hearing. This development also comes two months after Gov. Dan McKee (D) included a proposal to end cannabis prohibition as part of his annual budget plan. Miller, who sponsored an earlier legalization proposal that was approved in the Senate last year, told fellow lawmakers that “observing and incorporating what works best in other states has helped to guide us to what we have before you today.” Preempting concerns about expungements language that would later be voiced by advocates testifying at the hearing, Miller said “we’ve made our best attempt” to get the provisions right. “The courts have been involved, the attorney general’s been involved, many of you have been involved,” he said.
Kyle Jaeger, Marijuana Moment, 03/16/2022 13:21:00