The Providence Journal reported June 8 that the 34-2 Senate vote is the first step toward making Rhode Island the 11th U.S. state to legalize medical marijuana; a House vote is next.

The lead sponsor of the measure, Rhoda Perry (D-Providence), invoked the memory of a nephew who died of AIDS in seeking passage. Cosponsors included a former police officer, a nurse, and a lawyer. Perry acknowledged that even if the law passes, medical-marijuana users would have to buy the drug on the streets.

Under the measure, the state Health Department would issue registration cards allowing patients and caregivers to possess up to 12 marijuana plants or 2.5 ounces of the drug for medical use.

However, state police officials criticized the measure for not defining which "debilitating conditions" qualify an individual to use the drug medically. A Carcieri spokesperson said the governor "supports reasonable efforts to make sure that patients suffering from debilitating diseases receive the pain relief they need and deserve," but said the current bill would "allow virtually anyone in Rhode Island to grow and distribute large quantities of marijuana almost anywhere they wanted ... Marijuana farms could sprout up anywhere in this state."

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