After several years of fits and starts, Rhode Island is finally poised to pass a substantive cannabis legalization bill as soon as next week. An amended version of the previously-proposed cannabis bill is now on the fast track toward passage at the State House. Major developments in the amended bill include automatic expungement for past cannabis crimes, the creation of a Cannabis Control Commission, and the inception of retail sales as soon as December 2022. The amended bill was released Tuesday afternoon and approved Wednesday by both the Senate Judiciary Committee and the House Finance Committee. Having advanced through those committees, floor votes on the bills are expected to take place next week. One of the most significant changes from previous cannabis legalization bills in Rhode Island is a plan to adopt automatic expungement of prior civil or criminal marijuana possession charges (i.e. activities decriminalized by the current bill). The original 2022 legalization bill required those seeking expungement to request it from the courts, which raised numerous objections.
Cannabis Law Report, 05/20/2022 23:48:00
Open article: https://cannabislaw.report/rhode-island-poised-to-legalize-cannabis/