Gov. McKee and leaders in the Rhode Island Senate have proposed bills to legalize, regulate, and tax cannabis for adults in Rhode Island. It's time for us to join the fifteen other states that have passed similar laws. Regulating cannabis makes sense from a public health and safety perspective. In an illegal market there are no age restrictions, packaging rules, or other safeguards. Neighboring states have already established legal markets, and Rhode Island is losing out on the economic benefits. We could soon become an "island of prohibition" if we do not act. Any legalization bill should also include strong measures to promote social equity and repair the harms done by decades of cannabis criminalization. That should include automatic expungement for past offenses and policies that allow all Rhode Islanders to participate in and benefit from the legal cannabis economy. As a voter in your district, I urge you to support passage of an equitable and sensible cannabis legalization law this year.

By any objective measure, cannabis is safer than alcohol, and our state laws should reflect that. Rather than maintain a system that pushes cannabis into an illicit market, Rhode Island should regulate cannabis and create rules that actually safeguard public health and safety. Our state's legalization law should also automatically expunge prior criminal records. Cannabis prohibition laws have done tremendous harm, and we need to take a new approach. All of our neighbors in New England have either already moved ahead or will soon. Let's do the smart thing and pass a legalization law this year, so we can enjoy the economic and social benefits. As a constituent in your district, I appreciate you taking my views into consideration.