As of today, April 1st, possession of a small amount of marijuana is officially decriminalized in the state of Rhode Island. Back in June of 2012 Gov. Lincoln Chafee (I) signed into law SB 2253, which reduced the penalties for marijuana possession. The law did not go into effect until today. Before today, possession in [...]

Rhode Island Governor Lincoln Chafee (I) signed SB 2253, which decriminalizes the the simple possession of up to an ounce of marijuana. Last week the bill received its final vote in the state House of Representatives. This new law will make Rhode Island the 15th state to have decriminalized simple possession. Previously, possession of a [...]

The Rhode Island House and Senate voted overwhelmingly in support of two bills to decrease penalties for small marijuana possession in the state. The bills (which passed 50 to 24 in the House and 28 to 6 in the Senate) now await a vote in their opposite chamber before heading to Gov. Chafee, who said [...]

In a big move today for medical marijuana, Washington state Governor Christine Gregoire (D) and Rhode Island Governor Lincoln Chafee (I) requested that the federal government re-schedule (reclassify) marijuana. The policy change would allow marijuana to be legally prescribed as a medicine under federal law. From the Office of Gov. Gregoire: Gov. Chris Gregoire today [...]

As a result of threats from the President Obama’s Department of Justice, Rhode Island Governor Lincoln Chafee (I) has finally decided not to let the state license its three planned medical marijuana dispensaries. From Providence Journal: In a four-paragraph news release, Chafee said it “has been a difficult decision,” but he said he felt that [...]