Cannabis prohibition is a failed policy that has left tens of thousands of residents with a criminal record for using a substance that is safer than alcohol. Keeping cannabis illegal only creates a dangerous underground market and does nothing to protect public health or promote public health. As your constituent, I urge you to vote in favor of the Rhode Island Cannabis Act, which will put our state on the path that eighteen other states have taken, including Massachusetts and Connecticut, to legalize, regulate, and tax cannabis. The bill will also automatically expunge prior criminal records and begin to repair some of the harm caused by the decades-long war on marijuana. It's time to take a new approach. Please vote yes on this important legislation.

For years Rhode Island has been left behind as Massachusetts and other neighboring states have established legal marijuana markets that generate new tax revenue and create jobs. That can change with passage of the cannabis legalization proposal being debated in the General Assembly. The bill would generate millions of dollars in tax revenue and automatically clear past criminal records for marijuana that make it harder for individuals to get a job. It's time for Rhode Island to adopt more sensible marijuana laws. As a voter in your district, I hope you will do the right thing and vote "yes" to legalize marijuana.