What's the Rush, RI?
Advocating for Evidence Based Marijuana Policy
Mission
What’s The Rush-RI?’s Mission
-
Public education through the WTR-RI website, media outlets and presentations in the community.
-
Encouraging and conducting forums and educational opportunities, inclusive of all points of view, in partnership with leading Education, Research, Professional, Governmental and Provider agencies, institutions and organizations.
-
Advocate with the General Assembly, The Governor and Her Administration and Community Organizations, Businesses and Institutions for our positions and those of like minded groups.
Our Positions
-
Wait until the results of thorough long-term research and analysis of the impacts on youth use, public health, public safety and addiction in Colorado, Washington State, Oregon and Alaska are available to better inform our decision.
-
Fix RI’s Medical Marijuana Program. Establish evidence based regulations for product safety and integrity; medical monitoring by specialists in the condition for which MJ is recommended; & FDA level standards for manufacture of edible products.
-
Develop a detailed fiscal impact statement of the regulatory, public safety, and treatment costs associated with legalization. This statement must be made available for public review and discussion before the decision is made.
-
Permanent, guaranteed and adequate funding must be included for treatment and prevention of increased marijuana addiction and other cannabis induced conditions that will inevitably accompany recreational use of marijuana, especially among our youth.
I’ve been watching with puzzlement how the experiment with recreational pot in Colorado is going. There appear to be numerous unintended consequences that Rhode Island could avoid by not rushing into this.
Thank you for your thoughts, Phil. There is much yet to be learned before the General Assembly needs to make their decision. Some trends, like those currently emerging regarding increases in the order of 350% among Denver Colorado 8th graders may take 4 or 5 years to track. For example, will the same level of use persist into their 12th grade year? Or, as two proponents have suggested to me, is it simply a ‘novelty’ effect. Either way, we will not know with any degree of certainty for several years.
I have to believe that a sober 8th grader is going to learn more than a stoned 8th grader; I don’t know maybe I’m just old fashioned. And as we say, “not for nothing” but isn’t this an issue which anyone interested in RI s economy should be concerned about?
Hello, Dave. Good to hear from you. Both are excellent points upon which most agree. This is why we need all Rhode Islanders to endorse the Whats The Rush, RI? movements positions. Everyone agrees that MJ is bad for our young brain development and 1 in 6 will become addicted. And, the business benefits are unclear at best, but clearly in light of the risks to young people should be the last priority, not the first. No need to rush. Colorado and the three other legalized states can teach us much … and already are.