Marijuana advocates in Rhode Island have something to cheer about as the governor of the state is proposing to legalize the drug despite her reluctance.
Rhode Island Governor Gina Raimondo (D) will be calling for marijuana legalization in her next budget proposal according to Tom Mooney for the Providence Journal.
“I will say, I do this with reluctance,” Raimondo said to the Providence Journal. “I have resisted this for the four years I’ve been governor. … Now, however, things have changed, mainly because all of our neighbors are moving forward [with marijuana legalization].”
The Governor’s proposal would legalize possession and sales that would be taxed.
“We’re not doing this for the revenue,” said Kevin Gallagher, the governor’s deputy chief of staff, to the Providence Journal. “We’re going to be surrounded by [marijuana], and the only way we will be able to control the public health, to make sure we have safe products, control distribution, ensure proper enforcement, is if we take control of our own destiny and establish a framework here that has those significant protections.”
