RI Senate approves marijuana stores

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Would enable patients to get medical
marijuana

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) - A bill that would allow nonprofit stores in Rhode Island to sell marijuana to medical patients is headed to the governor’s desk. The state Senate passed the bill Tuesday afternoon by a 30-2 margin.

The bill has already passed the House and now heads to Governor Donald Carcieri for approval. The governor vetoed similar legislation last year.

If it becomes law, the bill would allow so-called compassion centers to sell marijuana to registered patients with debilitating illnesses. Right now, 680 patients are registered with the Department of Health’s medical marijuana program.

State lawmakers approved the use of medical marijuana in 2006, however they never legalized the sale of the drug. Under the current bill, Rhode Island would be the third state in the country and the first on the East Coast to approve marijuana dispensaries for medical patients.

“Sick patients and their caregivers shouldn’t have to risk their safety and deal with criminals to get the relief they need,” said bill sponsor Senator Rhode Perry (D-Dist. 3, Providence). “Rhode Island was compassionate enough a few years ago to recognize the benefit of marijuana for those who are suffering, and I’m proud that we’re now taking the next logical and necessary step and recognizing that patients need a safe, legal means to get it.”

Governor Carcieri has a week to either sign the legislation or veto it. If he does nothing, the bill will automatically become law without his signature. The legislation passed each chamber with significantly more than the three-fifths majority necessary to override a veto.

RI Senate Passes Medical Marijuana Compassion Center Bill l WPRI.com

R.I. has highest rate of illicit drug use, survey finds

Rhode Island had the highest rate of illicit drug use in the nation among people 12 or older, according to national survey conducted in 2006 and 2007.

Rhode Island is also among six states that saw significant increases in illicit drug use since the previous survey, in 2005-06. And among those ages 12 to 25, this state had the highest percentage of people who needed drug-abuse treatment but were not receiving it, the survey estimated.

That’s according to a new state-by-state analysis of substance abuse and mental illness patterns released Thursday by the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, or SAMHSA.

The data, drawn from face-to-face interviews with 135,672 people from around the country, found wide variations among the states. For example, while 12.5 percent of Rhode Islanders reported illicit drug use, the rate was only 5.2 percent among Iowans. Respondents were asked whether they had used illegal drugs within the previous month, including marijuana, cocaine, heroin, hallucinogens, inhalants and certain prescription medications if taken for nonmedical reasons.

“It’s a challenge we have been facing for some time now,” said Craig Stenning, director of the Rhode Island Department of Mental Health, Retardation and Hospitals, which oversees substance-abuse treatment. Rhode Island was also ranked number one for illicit drug use in the previous survey, conducted in 2005 and 2006.

“The Northeast always comes out extremely high in illicit drug use,” said Stenning, who founded and directed a drug-treatment agency before he entered state government. For Rhode Island, the location between Boston and New York, the easy availability of drugs and the urban environment all contribute to drug abuse, he said.

“The accessibility of drugs and alcohol is certainly much higher [here] than in the Midwest where you have to travel 20 to 30 miles,” Stenning said. “Availability is always documented by law enforcement to be much higher in this state.”

AS FOR the issue of young people needing treatment and not getting it, Stenning said, “That portion of the survey has been suspect for some time.” It’s easy to say you need treatment, but quite another matter to actually go get it, he said. Stenning asserted that denial and stigma are bigger obstacles than the availability of treatment slots. The state’s substance-abuse treatment centers have weathered the budget crisis thanks to a federal grant, and last year some 14,000 people obtained drug-abuse treatment in state-licensed centers, he said.

Rhode Island didn’t fare much better on measures of alcohol use. The state had the highest rate of people 12 or older who said they’d had an alcoholic beverage within the past month: 63.1 percent, compared with 51 percent for the nation and 56 percent for the Northeast. Even among people aged 12 to 17, well below the legal drinking age, Rhode Island still had the highest rate: 21.6 percent of Rhode Island youngsters had had a drink within the previous month, compared with 16.2 percent for the nation and 18.2 percent for the Northeast.

Rhode Island ranked sixth, with a rate slightly higher than the nation, for binge drinking –– having five or more drinks on one occasion in the previous 30 days.

Rhode Island is also in the middle when it comes to those who’d had an episode of major depression within the previous month, ranking 20th with 7.9 percent.

“This report shows that while every state faces its own unique pattern of public health problems, these problems confront every state,” Eric Broderick, SAMHSA’s acting administrator, said in a statement. “By highlighting the exact nature and scope of the problems in each state, we can help state public health authorities better determine the most effective ways of addressing them.”

The full study can be found online at oas.samhsa.gov/2k7state/TOC.cfm or can be obtained for free by calling 1-877-726-4727

R.I. has highest rate of illicit drug use, survey finds | Rhode Island news | projo.com | The Providence Journal

Legislators consider taxing Joe Sixpack where it hurts the most

PROVIDENCE –– Facing crushing budget deficits, reluctant state lawmakers have already agreed to raise taxes on cigarettes and health-insurance premiums in recent months. But they have largely left Joe Sixpack out of the debate.

Until now.

Substance-abuse advocates have launched an effort to revive a long-ignored proposal to boost Rhode Island’s tax on beer. And some lawmakers are listening.

“I’ve always liked the idea,” said House Finance Committee Chairman Steven M. Costantino, noting a recent move by the Massachusetts’ legislature to eliminate its sales-tax exemption on alcohol. “I would say we’re looking at all potential revenue sources.”

Even a modest hike in the beer tax could discourage destructive drinking and bring millions of new dollars to the state’s depleted coffers, according to supporters. But alcohol distributors and liquor store owners say higher beer taxes could hurt both local businesses and thirsty Rhode Islanders.

“Ultimately, it will raise the cost of beer to the consumer,” said Charles M. Borkoski, vice president of marketing for McLaughlin & Moran, Rhode Island’s dominant beer distributor. “And the economic conditions in our industry are such that any reduction in sales could result in a reduction in personnel.”

But the beer tax supporters have been pushing hard this legislative session.

The executive director of the Drug and Alcohol Treatment Association of Rhode Island, Neil A. Corkery, has met with Costantino at least twice about nearly doubling Rhode Island’s beer tax, currently at 10 cents a gallon. The price of a six-pack would jump by about a nickel. Corkery estimates the increase could generate $3 million for the state.

And the nonprofit group, Rhode Island Communities for Addiction Recovery Efforts, led a State House rally yesterday, attracting more than 100 people to highlight its top legislative priority: increasing the state’s alcohol tax. The organization also launched a direct-mail campaign in recent days aimed at elected officials, who have avoided raising the beer tax since 1989…

Current taxes on a six-pack:

Federal excise tax: 33 cents

State excise tax: 5.6 cents

Beer is also subject to the state’s 7 percent sales tax.

Sources: R.I. Division of Taxation, Center for Science in the Public Interest

Legislators consider taxing Joe Sixpack where it hurts the most | Rhode Island news | projo.com | The Providence Journal

Rhode Island Project Shows Obama Stimulus Has Yet to Dent Job-Loss Trend

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May 22 (Bloomberg) — Paula Daigneau makes $18.60 an hour directing traffic for the repaving of Main Road in Tiverton, a town of 15,000 in eastern Rhode Island. She says that’s twice what she would have earned doing chores on a friend’s farm.

“The jobs were getting pretty limited,” said Daigneau, 51, a flagger who signals drivers with a sign she pivots from “Stop” to “Slow.”

Daigneau and 31 full-time co-workers are beneficiaries of President Barack Obama’s $787 billion spending program aimed at reviving the U.S. economy. To Michael D’Ambra, president of the construction company that landed the $2.4 million contract, the Main Road project shows the effort is succeeding.

“It appears that the stimulus is doing its job,” D’Ambra said. “It’s putting people to work.”

To critics, the Tiverton project, which is scheduled to end in September, illustrates the stimulus program’s weaknesses: They say it may be creating too few jobs, too slowly, for too short a time.

Once the stimulus money is spent, “that’s the end of it,” said Harry Staley, chairman of the Rhode Island Statewide Coalition, a group that advocates responsible government spending. He said he’s concerned that the money is going to “projects that are not in fact critical” and won’t provide a long-lasting boost to the economy.

3.5 Million Jobs

When Obama signed the stimulus bill on Feb. 17, the administration said it would create or save 3.5 million jobs by the end of September 2010. Through May 5, according to a May 13 report released by Vice President Joe Biden, $28.5 billion, or 3.6 percent, of the stimulus money had been disbursed, counting tax cuts, benefits such as Medicaid payments to states, education and construction projects. About 150,000 jobs had been created or saved, a news release said.

The U.S. economy lost a combined 1.2 million jobs in March and April, and the unemployment rate rose to 8.9 percent last month from 8.1 percent in February, according to the U.S. Labor Department.

The question for some economists is whether the money is being doled out fast enough. According to the plan, 70 percent of the total is to be spent through next fiscal year, and all of the funds won’t be distributed until 2011 or beyond.

“One of the criticisms of the stimulus package has been that it’s somewhat backloaded,” said Dean Maki, co-head of U.S. economic research at Barclays Capital Inc. in New York. “So the more of these projects that can be started now when the labor market is so weak, the better for helping achieve sustainable growth over time.”

Caterpillar’s Complaint

Caterpillar Inc., the world’s largest maker of earth-moving equipment, is among critics saying the money isn’t being spent quickly or widely enough. The U.S. “missed an opportunity to correct past underinvestment in U.S. infrastructure,” the company said in an April 21 economic commentary.

“The net-net effect of the construction spending in the short run is probably close to zero,” said Robert Stein, senior economist at First Trust Advisors in Lisle, Illinois. “We expect the economy to rebound for a variety of factors having nothing to do with the stimulus bill.”

Construction is already underway on about 303 highway and bridge projects nationwide, the Transportation Department said. The agency is still tallying how many jobs the projects are creating, said Maureen Knightly, a spokeswoman.

“We are at the beginning of the construction season and over the next five or six months, there will be an enormous number of people working,” Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said yesterday in an interview. “There’s going to be billions of dollars paving over America.”

Rhode Island Woes

Stimulus transportation projects are creating 1,500 jobs in Rhode Island, including those in Tiverton, according to Rhode Island Transportation Department Director Michael Lewis. Tiverton’s is one of the first transportation stimulus projects in the country to get started.

Rhode Island needs the work. The state’s April unemployment rate was 11.1 percent, up from 10.3 percent in January, and the fourth-highest in the country. The rate was the highest since the Labor Department began reporting the figures in 1976.

In Tiverton, workers are resurfacing and installing new sidewalks and curbs along 2.3 miles of Main Road, a street of tanning salons, car repair shops and chain drugstores. Sidewalks stop and start along the strip, so pedestrians sometimes have to walk on the shoulder.

‘Would Have Been Bleak’

The project in Tiverton, whose biggest employer is the town government, wouldn’t have happened this year if not for the stimulus package, Rhode Island’s Lewis said.

“It would have been very bleak in Rhode Island, not just for infrastructure but for the contracting community and for the engineering community” without the projects funded by the act, he said.

The Tiverton work may not generate many so-called indirect jobs, which the government includes in its estimate of how many will be created by the stimulus program.

National Grid Plc, which distributes electricity and natural gas, is doing gas line maintenance as Main Road is resurfaced, but that work would have been done anyhow and hasn’t required any new hiring, said company spokesman David Graves. National Grid’s U.S. headquarters is in Westborough, Massachusetts.

Packed Lunches

The road workers, from Rhode Island and nearby Massachusetts, aren’t spending much money in Tiverton because most pack their lunches for their 30-minute lunch break, said D’Ambra, the construction company’s head.

Aside from renting an office and buying fuel, “I don’t think we really bring a lot of dollars and cents into that town,” said D’Ambra, whose company is based in Warwick, Rhode Island, about 35 miles from Tiverton.

“What the project’s going to mean to me is short-term, we may lose business,” said Doreen Rapoza, co-owner of the Hair Reflections salon. “But after, it may do well because more people will be walking with sidewalks.”

Main Road flagger Daigneau, a divorced mother and grandmother, says she’s optimistic she’ll find work after the stimulus project ends in September.

Tiverton Work Shows Stimulus Not Denting Job Losses (Update1) - Bloomberg.com

Johnson & Wales cancels classes over flu concerns - and a Ludacris concert! booo!

PROVIDENCE, R.I.—The Rhode Island Department of Health says a third student at Johnson & Wales University’s Providence campus has a probable case of swine flu, and the university has canceled Monday’s classes.

Health officials are recommending that all classes, off-campus athletic events, admissions activities and other on-campus events be canceled through Monday.

Meanwhile, the Department of Health has recommended that classes and activities be canceled through Wednesday at Pier Middle School in Narragansett. A student is recovering from what officials say is a probable case of swine flu. Health department spokeswoman Annemarie Beardsworth says the school has chosen to follow the recommendation.

One case of swine flu has been confirmed in Rhode Island — a Westerly man who authorities say is recovering.

Johnson & Wales cancels classes over flu concerns - Boston.com

New tax targets local college students

Providence Mayor wants to tax college students

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) - Providence Mayor David Cicilline has proposed a new tax that would charge private college students $300.

Mayor Cicilline wants to charge students at Brown University , Rhode Island School of Design , Johnson & Wales , and Providence College a yearly fee to help generate income for the city.

The Mayor has been meeting with officials from the institutions to try and gain support for his proposal.

“I’m committed to finding a solution that protects the taxpayers of this city, and ensures that everyone contributes and pays their fair share for the services that are provided,” Mayor Cicilline tells Eyewitness News.

College students say they are already strapped for cash, and that this is not a good time for a new tax.

New Tax Targets Local College Students | WPRI.com

Strip Club hosting Job Fair

PROVIDENCE, R.I. — Here’s one job opportunity you won’t need a new wardrobe for.

Hoping to take advantage of Rhode Island’s floundering economy, owners of the Foxy Lady strip club in Providence plan to hold a job fair on Saturday. They say they’re looking to fill around 30 positions, including strippers and waitresses, at that club and two others in Massachusetts.

Co-owner Tom Tsoumas says people are desperate for work, especially in Rhode Island, where the unemployment rate stood at 10.3 percent in January.

He hopes that some who would have shunned strip clubs in a strong economy might now consider shedding their clothes — or at least working as a waitress or bartender.

Tsoumas says he expects to collect as many as 150 resumes from “very responsible and competent people.”

Help Me! :-)

Please join the Rhode Island Affiliate of the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network for a memorial walk to honor loved ones in the fight against pancreatic cancer..

Registration will be $25, and check-in will begin at 9:00 a.m. The walk will begin at 10:00 a.m. and end at 2:00 p.m.

Click here for a registration form.

Click here for a donation form.

For additional information, please contact Rhode Island Affiliate Coordinator Shena Hamel at shamel@pancanvolunteer.org or (401) 241-8495.