The two Rhode Island lawmakers who are leading the effort to legalize marijuana in the Ocean State have offered a compromise they call “incremental legalization.”
State Sen. Joshua Miller, D-Cranston and Rep. Scott Slater, D-Providence, said they are proposing to legalize possession of one ounce or less or pot for adults 21 years of age or older on July 1, 2018, when retail stores are scheduled to open in Massachusetts.
Miller and Slater also propose setting up a six-member advisory board to study outcomes of legalization in other states and issue a report by January 1, 2018 on how to handle taxing and regulating marijuana in the state.
The board would be made up of two state officials selected by the governor, two state senators and two members of the Rhode Island House.
Miller and Slater are the two most prominent Rhode Island Statehouse sponsors of legislation that would regulate the sales of pot in a manner similar to how the state regulates and taxes alcohol products.
“We are prepared to compromise in a significant way, but there must be progress on the issue this year,’’ said Miller in a news release. “Our proposal balances the will of a majority of voters who want marijuana to be legal for adults while respecting colleagues who want to slow things down and get the regulations right.’’
