Representative Slater is the principal author of
2005 – H 6052, "The Edward O. Hawkins Medical Marijuana Act.".
This bill, which would protect Rhode Island residents using medical marijuana from arrest or prosecution by state or local authorities, was
passed by the Rhode Island General Assembly on June 28, 2005. The Governor of Rhode Island,
Donald L. Carcieri, vetoed the bill on June 29, 2005.
An override vote on the vetoed bill is pending in the Rhode Island General Assembly as this article is posted, at 8:39 EDT, June 30, 2005. The bill passed both houses of the Rhode Island General Assembly by votes greater than the three-fifths margin required for an override of the governor's veto.
A successful override of the governor's veto would make Rhode Island the
11th state to legalize medical marijuana and the third to have it legalized through its legislature.
The states that have already legalized medical marijuana are: Alaska, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Vermont, and Washington State.
You can listen to an audio interview with Representative Thomas C. Slater, in which he talks about the content, purpose, and fate of this bill, which he says will provide "peace of mind" for patients using medical marijuana in Rhode Island, by clicking
here and then clicking on the title of the
Podmedia Reports blog entry entitled "Rhode Island's Tom Slater talks about his medical marijuana bill."
You can subscribe to the
Podmedia Reports podcast that carries this interview, and will carry other interviews on this and other topical issues, by going
here and following the simple instructions for downloading a "podcatcher" and subscribing to the
Podmedia Reports podcast.
