Chafee: R.I. won’t allow compassion centers

PROVIDENCE – Gov. Lincoln D. Chafee on Thursday said he would not allow the licensing and regulation of medical-marijuana compassion centers as approved by the General Assembly because he sees it as a violation of federal law.
“This has been a difficult decision,” Chafee said in a statement. “I believe that patients with debilitating medical conditions such as cancer, glaucoma and AIDS should have safe, reliable and well-regulated access to marijuana for therapeutic purposes.
“Rhode Island has a card and caregiver law currently in place for distributing medical marijuana to patients in need,” he continued. “I have met with and heard from advocate groups and patients that this existing system has serious flaws. … In 2009, in an effort to address these flaws, the General Assembly passed a new law authorizing the cultivation and distribution of medical marijuana through three state-registered and regulated compassion centers.”
Chafee said he has heard from both the U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. attorney for the district of Rhode Island, “that large-scale commercial operations such as Rhode Island’s compassion centers will be potential targets of vigorous criminal and civil enforcement efforts by the federal government. I cannot implement a state marijuana cultivation and distribution system which is illegal under federal law and which will become a target of federal law enforcement efforts.”
Chafee urged the General Assembly to introduce new legislation to improve the current system for distributing medical marijuana without violating federal law.

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