NEW: National Marijuana Advocate in RI for Legalization Forum

NEW: National Marijuana Advocate in RI for Legalization Forum

A forum at Brown University Tuesday night on regulating and taxing marijuana will include Mason Tvert, the Director of Communications at the Marijuana Policy Project  and co-director of the 2012 "Amendment 64" campaign in Colorado, as well as state elected and health officials to discuss the implications of taxing and regulating marijuana in Rhode Island. 

Tvert, who has been been at the forefront in the national legalization movement as a policy reform activist, spoke to experiences in other states prior to Tuesday's forum at Brown, which is being hosted by Regulate RI at 6:30 PM at the List Art Building.  

"Obviously, Alaska and Oregon are brand new, but with Washington and Colorado, those states are demonstrating that it is possible to regulate and tax marijuana like alcohol," said Tvert.  "I heard about a big auction recently in Washington state where the business was selling to retail stores, and it was something like $600,000 in sales.  This shows the benefits of regulation in a controlled setting, under state officials."

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"Previously, this type of transaction might have happened under dealers and thugs with guns," continued Tvert.  "Overall, it was something like $14,000 [from the sale] that went to three schools.  It's part of the community like any business.  Like alcohol regulation, states are learning from experience."

State by State

"Looking at any new state, it will be similar to how it is with alcohol," said Tvert  "In all of these states which have systems where marijuana is taxed, like alcohol, it's legal for adults to purchase and possess, but when it comes to the details, it will be decided by state and localities.  The latter does the zoning, such as where can the business be located, hours, etc." 

"The Alaska law looks a lot more like Colorado law, and Oregon looks more like Washington. In Colorado, regulations are enforced by the Department of Revenue, which also oversees alcohol and gaming and tobacco," said Tvert.  "On the other hand, Washington has a liquor control board, performing the same function.  So it's really a state-by-state basis of how it looks."

Tvert spoke to the effort for further legalization across the country.  

"Overall, these types of measures have been held up for fear of marijuana and the unknown.  People are coming to realize marijuana is not a scary as it's lead to believe," said Tvert.  "There will always be cases where they find something to jump on to scare people.  They'll say there are incidents where kids are accidentally ingesting marijuana.  If a study showed that the period that the looked at, there were 14 instance where there were none before, that might look like a lot.  But if you look at other household products that are legal, there are thousands of instances of accidental ingestion."

"I'm not trying to minimize the risks or danger," said Tvert.  "The panel is supposed to talk about the benefits regulating marijuana would have on public health.  The folks who are opposed to it talk as though they have the exclusive right to the well-being of mankind.  They want to make it seem as though legalization proponents don't care about public safety, but that's precisely what we're talking about."

"Brookings [Institution] came out with a long report this summer saying how well it's working," said Tvert.  "There is evidence."

Forum Details

The forum, "Regulating Marijuana in Rhode Island: A Public Health and Safety Approach" will be held at Brown's List Art Building at 6:30 PM, and will feature on the panel: Rhode Island State Senator Josh Miller and State Representative Scott Slater, who have both sponsored marijuana regulations, control, and taxation legislation; Dr. David Lewis,  founder of Brown University’s Center for Alcohol and Addiction Studies;  Elizabeth A. Comery, JD, retired attorney and former Providence police office; Pat Oglesby, JD, MBA, former Chief Tax Counsel, U.S. Senate Finance Committee and founder of the Center for New Revenue; Jim Vincent, President of NAACP – Providence Branch; Michelle McKenzie, MPH, public health researcher and advocate for people in recovery from substance dependency, and Diego Arene-Morley, President of Brown University Students for Sensible Drug Policy.