PROVIDENCE – Gov. Gina M. Raimondo said she still plans to introduce a proposal in January that would legalize and regulate recreational marijuana and has asked the Senate President to keep an open mind about it.
R.I. Senate President Dominick J. Ruggerio on Tuesday said he would not support legalizing recreational marijuana, citing his concerns with the way the medical marijuana roll out has been monitored by the state. Senate approval would be required.
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On Wednesday, in an interview with the Providence Business News, Raimondo said she met with Ruggerio on Tuesday. Her argument is that legalizing and regulating the product will improve the safety of Rhode Islanders.
“Given that Massachusetts has recreational marijuana, and it’s so close and on our border, and it looks like Connecticut is going to do the same, it’s in our state, whether we like it or not,” she said. “And I think we should regulate it to keep people safe.”
Last year, Raimondo’s plan would have created a weight-based excise tax on marijuana cultivation, and a 10 percent sales tax on marijuana purchases, in addition to the existing state sales tax. Purchases would have been limited to an ounce or less.
The proposal she’s working on will differ somewhat from what she introduced in the 2019 session, she said, based on conversations with Massachusetts officials. She said she hasn’t finalized a plan.
“I ‘m going to put forward a proposal that I think is best for the health and safety of Rhode Islanders and I hope the legislature gives it a hard look.”
Mary MacDonald is a staff writer for the PBN. Contact her at macdonald@pbn.com.
