09-R316
2009 -- S 1032
Enacted 06/26/09
S E N A T E R E S O L U T I O N
CREATING A
SPECIAL SENATE COMMISSION TO STUDY THE PROHIBITION OF MARIJUANA
Introduced By: Senators Miller, Blais, Perry, C Levesque, and Sosnowski
Date Introduced: June 26, 2009
RESOLVED,
That a special legislative commission to be known as
the “Marijuana
Prohibition Study
Commission” be and the same is hereby created consisting of nine (9)
members, all of whom shall be appointed by the Senate
President, with appointment
consideration given to the following: elected members of the Rhode
Island Senate, local law
enforcement officials, physicians, nurses, social workers,
academic leaders in the field of
addiction studies, advocates or patients in the state’s medical
marijuana program, advocates
working in the field of prisoner re-entry, economists, and
members of the general public.
The purpose of said
commission shall be to make a comprehensive study and issue
findings about the effects of policies forbidding the
possession, cultivation, and sale of marijuana
in the State of
(a) The commission shall
meet with the purpose of evaluating the effects and costs of
marijuana prohibition, including:
(1) Whether and to what
extent
current laws prohibiting its use;
(2) Whether adults' use
of marijuana has decreased since marijuana became illegal in
(3) Whether the current
system of marijuana prohibition has created violence in the state
of
(4) Whether the proceeds
from the sales of marijuana are funding organized crime,
including drug cartels;
(5) Any dangers
associated with marijuana resulting from it being sold on the criminal
market, including if it is ever contaminated or laced with
other drugs;
(6) Whether those who
sell marijuana on the criminal market may also sell other drugs,
thus increasing the chances that youth will use other
illegal substances;
(7) The costs associated
with the current policies prohibiting marijuana sales and
possession, including law enforcement, judicial, public
defender, and corrections costs;
(8) The number of
arrests and persons incarcerated for marijuana offenses in Rhode
Island;
(9) The number and rate
of unsolved crimes in
murder, theft and robbery;
(10) Whether there have
been cases of corruption related to marijuana law enforcement;
(11) The amount of
revenue anticipated if
legal and impose a "sin tax" of $35 per ounce or
greater;
(12) The experience of
individuals and families sentenced for violating marijuana laws;
(13) The experience of
states and European countries, such as
and the
(14) How marijuana's
risks compare to other illegal and legal substances, including its
chance of lethal overdose and dependence;
(15) Any other
information relevant to evaluating the costs and success or failure of
imposing criminal penalties on marijuana possession and sales
and on failing to regulate its sales;
and
(16) The study
commission may also make recommendations regarding marijuana
policies.
Forthwith upon
passage of this resolution, the members of the commission shall meet at
the call of the President of the Senate who shall select
a chairperson.
Vacancies in said
commission shall be filled in like manner as the original appointment.
The membership of
said commission shall receive no compensation for their services.
All departments
and agencies of the state shall furnish such advice and information,
documentary and otherwise, to said commission and its agents as
is deemed necessary or
desirable by the commission to facilitate the purposes of this
resolution.
The Joint
Committee on Legislative Services is hereby authorized and directed to
provide suitable quarters for said commission; and be it
further
RESOLVED,
That the commission shall report its findings and
recommendations to the
Senate no later than
January 31, 2010, and said commission shall expire on January 31, 2014.
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LC02940
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