Rhode Island’s Senate and House of Representatives voted to end their debate over recreational marijuana legalization bills and instead created a 19-person commission to study the issue.
Among the commission’s mandates – after the Senate agreed Thursday with an earlier House vote to halt any MJ legislation – is the exploration of the recreational markets in states that already have it, such as Colorado and Washington.
The new commission – which is smaller than the proposed 22 members – must report back to the full legislature by early next year.
The move lays to rest, for now, a handful of legalization bills in either chamber, including a Senate measure whose number happened to be 420, according to Rhode Island Public Radio. The 420 bill would have legalized possession of small amounts of adult-use cannabis but not sales until there’s been further study.
– Associated Press