Another Look: McKee: ‘Wait and see’ on cannabis

McKee: ‘Wait and see’ on cannabis

BY CASSIUS SHUMAN | Shuman@PBN.com

(Editor’s note: A version of this story was first published on PBN.com on June 2.)

PROVIDENCE – Gov. Daniel J. McKee says he is adopting a “wait and see” approach regarding recreational-marijuana legislation that is sitting at a logjam in the General Assembly. McKee proposed his own legislation in his fiscal year 2022 budget.

The clock is ticking on lawmakers in crafting a unified piece of legislation to garner passage before the June 30 deadline, when the budget session ends.

When asked about the legislation’s status, McKee was noncommittal, saying he was “very comfortable” with the legislation he proposed in his budget that calls for legalizing cannabis as a source of revenue for the state.

“I know conversations are going on right now, but multiple versions can develop late in the session, so I wouldn’t be surprised if this is something that maybe gets carried over to a fall session,” McKee said. “This is one I am comfortable in waiting for it to work itself out.”

McKee said he doesn’t mind waiting because he wants to ensure that the legislation gets done right. “I think the plan that I put forward in the budget does get it right,” he said. “But if [legislation is introduced] that is different than that, I want the time to make sure that the due diligence is put in, so it does come out right.”

McKee also said the cannabis legislation should be entrepreneurial, not state-run, governed by the R.I. Department of Business Regulation, and that its “oversight should be well-defined.”

Sen. Joshua Miller, D-Cranston, painted a slightly different picture of the status of the legislation in the General Assembly. Miller and Sen. Michael J. McCaffrey, D-Warwick, introduced legislation on March 9 aimed at legalizing marijuana at the behest of Senate President Dominick J. Ruggerio.

Miller said progress has been made regarding several key issues in discussions with the McKee administration, members of the House, the attorney general’s office, the court system and the R.I. Division of Taxation.

Despite that, Miller said it concerns him that the legislation would be pushed off until the fall for a special session. “Sooner is better than later,” he said. “It’s my preference to get it done sooner rather than later.”

Both McKee’s and the Senate’s legislation are based on an entrepreneurial model, a departure from a staterun model that former Gov. Gina M. Raimondo had been pushing.

Miller said issues regarding the legislation that have come up have been resolved. Those issues include expungements of marijuana-related convictions, revenue disbursement and governance issues. He noted the few issues that remain involve oversight, and the amount of retail sales licenses.

McKee’s proposal calls for 25 retail sales licenses, while the Senate’s legislation stipulates a limit of one license per 10,000 residents in a city or town.

“There shouldn’t be a reason why we shouldn’t be able to resolve anything that is outstanding,” said Miller. “We feel the outstanding issues have diminished since we first started talking to them.”

At the same time, Rep. Scott A. Slater, D-Providence, introduced his own cannabis legislation in the House

RUNNING OUT OF TIME: Gov. Daniel J. McKee says he’s adopting a wait-andsee approach regarding legislation for the legalization of recreational marijuana.

PBN FILE PHOTO/MICHAEL SALERNO

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