The end is near for US hemp THC market.

But uncertainty continues for Rhode Island growers.

By Christopher Shea, Rhode Island Current

On less than an acre of farmland in Hopkinton, rows of hemp plants were nearing harvest. Most of their “colas” — dense clusters of buds prized for smokable flower — had already been cut ahead of a nor’easter bound for southern New England on the last weekend of September.

The rest will be harvested in the next couple of weeks and turned into concentrate, destined to become products such as tinctures, 1-milligram THC gummies and 5-milligram THC lemonades, which Lovewell Farms launched earlier in September.

“We’ve leaned into the cans and beverages because the state regulations allow that,” Mike Simpson, co-founder of Lovewell Farms, said in an interview standing next to the hemp plants, joint in hand. “And we’re making hand over fist doing that.”

Rhode Island’s regulated hemp market generated $2.85 million in sales in 2025, according to data provided by the state’s Cannabis Control Commission. Drinks and seltzers infused with THC — the psychoactive component of the cannabis plant that can cause impairment— accounted for $2.36 million, or about 83% of the total. The state had 201 licensed hemp businesses as of Oct. 1, including 169 retailers.

But the market Simpson joined could soon be upended by a federal restriction that Rhode Island regulators say they must enforce. Starting Dec. 11, federal law will prohibit the sale of hemp-derived cannabinoid products containing more than 0.4 milligrams of total THC per container.

Existing regulations adopted by the Cannabis Control Commission in 2025 have allowed all products to contain up to 1 milligrams of total THC per serving, or 5 milligrams of total THC per package. 

Unexpected findings add new insight on cannabis and heart health

Might have some heart benefits

By University of California, San Francisco

Edited by Sadie Harley, reviewed by Robert Egan

Habitual cannabis users experienced about 9% fewer premature heartbeats on days they inhaled cannabis compared with days they abstained, a counterintuitive finding that adds to the complex and evolving understanding of how cannabis affects the heart, according to new UC San Francisco-led research.

The study, published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, is among the first to examine the acute cardiovascular effects of inhaled cannabis in people living their normal daily lives. While the findings challenge assumptions drawn largely from observational studies, the researchers caution that they should not influence medical or behavioral decisions around cannabis use.

With millions of Americans using cannabis, studies like this are increasingly important for understanding its health effects, the researchers said.

"We were surprised by the results because they contradicted our original hypothesis," said Gregory Marcus, MD, MAS, an endowed professor of atrial fibrillation research in the UCSF Division of Cardiology. "That's why randomized trials are so important. When the data challenge our expectations, our job as scientists is to understand them, not ignore them."

The trial enrolled 108 adults who regularly smoked or vaped cannabis but had no history of clinically diagnosed cardiac arrhythmias. Over 14 days, participants were randomly assigned each day to either inhale cannabis or abstain while wearing a continuously recording electrocardiographic monitor, activity tracker, sleep monitor and continuous glucose monitor.

Participants served as their own controls, allowing investigators to compare physiological changes during cannabis use and abstinence days.

Rhode Island hemp industry faces uncertainty amid federal crackdown on THC products

Republicans snuck surprise ban into bill to reopen the government

By Christopher Shea, Rhode Island Current

Mike Simpson is one of Rhode Island’s biggest cheerleaders for hemp cultivation and the plant’s derivative products — remedies, he believes, that may help where pharmaceutical medicines cannot. 

It’s that very reason Simpson helped co-found Rhode Island’s only outdoor hemp farm, where he says many of the business’ products ship all across the country.

But Lovewell Farms’ may cease operations now that Congress has approved reopening the federal government under legislation that would effectively ban hemp products containing more than 0.4 milligrams of THC. If approved by President Donald Trump, the ban will go into effect in a year.

“This might be the final straw,” Simpson said in an interview Wednesday. “I may have to shut my whole company down.” 

Simpson doesn’t sell intoxicating products, but said crops grown at his Hopkinton farm can contain up to 1 milligram of THC in it, as is allowed under existing Rhode Island hemp regulations.

“I have 700 to 800 pounds of flower that I grew this year that under that law would not be legal,” he said.

Simpson said he would grow crops with lower concentrations, but as a USDA-certified organic farm, there aren’t that many seed suppliers he can buy from.

“We’re really at the whim of what those folks are providing,” he said.

The provision in the shutdown-ending appropriations bill was championed by GOP Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky in order to close a loophole in the 2018 Farm Bill that legalized hemp but inadvertently paved the way for the proliferation of hemp-derived THC products like infused drinks — products which states have since scrambled to either regulate or ban.

THC drinks derived from hemp were illegal in Rhode Island until August 2024, when the state’s now-defunct Office of Cannabis Regulation began allowing the sale of products containing low levels of delta-9 THC at licensed retailers, including vape shops and liquor stores.

The presence of hemp-derived drinks has led to a debate on whether such drinks should even be legal in Rhode Island. Members of the state’s recreational cannabis industry for the most part have been against allowing THC products to be sold outside licensed pot shops. 

Since the start of the fiscal year on July 1, regulators in the newly-established Rhode Island Cannabis Office have crafted recommendations on dosage limits, packaging standards, labeling requirements, licensing conditions, and other ways to ensure children don’t accidentally consume the intoxicating drinks. 

Finally meeting again, R.I. Cannabis Control Commission votes to hire $110K-a-year spokesperson

We're on it, dude

By Christopher Shea, Rhode Island Current

The Rhode Island Cannabis Control Commission met Thursday afternoon for the first time in over two months, spending most of its first meeting of 2025 behind closed doors.

Absent from the agenda was a staple item for most meetings: public comment.

The hiring of a chief public affairs officer, however, dominated the meeting. The commission’s three members spent 15 minutes in executive session where they voted to extend a job offer to a candidate. 

The announcement was made upon the commission’s return to open session. Then the commission adjourned. The meeting — the first since Oct. 15, 2024 — lasted 23 minutes.

Chairperson Kimberly Ahern would not disclose the name of the candidate the commission selected to the crowd of seven members of the public who attended the meeting.

“There are layers of things to do before we can share anything,” Ahern told Rhode Island Current. 

A total of 76 people applied for the chief public affairs officer job by the Oct. 12, 2024, application deadline. The job was posted Oct. 3 with a 10-day application period. The position is tasked with handling media inquiries and coordinating with the General Assembly about cannabis-related legislation. 

“It was a very robust applicant pool,” Ahern said. “People are very excited about the commission’s work, I think.”

The annual salary for the position is $110,585, said Matthew Touchette, a spokesperson for the Rhode Island Commerce Corp. and Department of Business Regulation, which has overseen the state’s cannabis rules as the commission sets up the governing rules for Rhode Island’s recreational cannabis market.

“I’m going to be bummed that I’m not going to be working with Kim as much anymore,” Touchette said. “I am the only person who’s been with her since day one — she’s just been awesome to work with.”

New Research Reveals That Cannabis Can Reverse Brain Aging

Alter, was machst du?*

By University Hospital Bonn

A low-dose, long-term administration of cannabis has been shown to not only reverse aging processes in the brain but also exhibit anti-aging effects. Researchers from University Hospital Bonn (UKB) and the University of Bonn, in collaboration with a team from Hebrew University in Israel, demonstrated this effect in mice.

The key to this discovery lies in the protein switch mTOR, which influences cognitive performance and metabolic processes throughout the body. These findings have been published in the journal ACS Pharmacology & Translational Science.

Information about the availability or scarcity of resources is of crucial importance for the regulation of metabolism. The so-called metabolome is a complex reaction network that summarizes all metabolic properties of a cell or tissue. In higher organisms, the protein mTOR [Mechanistic Target of Rapamycin] is the central hub for cell growth and metabolism.

New Study Reveals That CBD Is Ineffective for Pain Relief

A Waste of Money: 

By University of Bath

New research led by the University of Bath in the UK suggests that CBD products, despite their popularity as an alternative pain treatment, do not alleviate chronic pain and may be both a financial drain and a health risk. 

CBD, or cannabidiol, is a chemical naturally found in the cannabis plant and is commonly sold in various forms such as oils, tinctures, vapes, topical creams, edibles like gummy bears, and soft drinks, available in stores and online. 

However, consumers would do well to steer clear of these products, according to the new study.

“CBD presents consumers with a big problem,” said Professor Chris Eccleston, who led the research from the Centre for Pain Research at Bath. “It’s touted as a cure for all pain but there’s a complete lack of quality evidence that it has any positive effects.”

He added: “It’s almost as if chronic pain patients don’t matter, and that we’re happy for people to trade on hope and despair.”

For their study, published this week in The Journal of Pain, the team – which included researchers from the Universities of Bath, Oxford, and Alberta in Canada – examined research relevant to using CBD to treat pain and published in scientific journals up to late 2023.

They found:

Here’s what Tim Walz has done as governor of Minnesota

Walz's solid record of progress for Minnesota

By Max Nesterak, Minnesota Reformer

Democrats have swiftly fallen for Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz’s Midwest dad persona, sharing videos of him working on a car, going on a rollercoaster with daughter Hope at the State Fair, signing a bill renaming a street in Prince’s honor in purple ink. But he’s also got a long record as governor.

Walz’s first term was largely defined by the gridlock of divided government and crisis management in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the aftermath of the police murder of George Floyd.

But once Democrats swept control of state government in the 2022 elections with Walz at the top of the ticket, they passed one of the most significant progressive agendas in the nation’s recent history with just a single-seat Senate majority.

Walz represented a Republican-leaning district in the U.S. House and was widely seen as the more centrist of the two leading Democratic candidates for governor, but he’s become a champion of progressive policy as governor. With few exceptions, Walz supported what the Democratic majorities in the state House and Senate could muster the votes to pass.

Those bills — ranging from protecting abortion access to speeding up energy permitting to increasing protections against wage theft — have excited the nation’s Democratic base, which is beginning to learn about the trifecta’s work over the past two years.

Here’s a look at where Walz stands on the issues, based on the bills he’s signed.

Cannabis Consumption and Compulsive Eating

What’s the Link?

By DREXEL UNIVERSITY 

New research from Drexel University’s Center for Weight, Eating and Lifestyle Science (WELL Center), examined how often people investigated the frequency of recreational cannabis use among individuals with binge eating behaviors. 

Furthermore, the research explored whether cannabis consumption in these patients is associated with more severe symptoms of eating disorders or with heightened challenges related to mental health.

While there has been a great deal of research on the impact of cannabis on eating habits, less is known about the effects of cannabis use on individuals with a binge eating disorder. Binge eating is the experience of feeling out of control when eating or unable to stop eating. 

Cannabis may play a particular role in maintaining binge eating as research suggests cannabis can increase how pleasurable or rewarding people find high-sugar or high-fat foods.

Far-right, GOP love of Russia deepens

Tucker Carlson wishes America was more like Moscow

By Walter Einenkel for Daily Kos

By Clay Bennett

Tucker Carlson followed up his interview of Russian dictator Vladimir Putin with an appearance at the 2024 World Governments Summit in Dubai. Speaking with Egyptian journalist Emad Eldin Adeeb, Carlson praised Putin as “very capable” and fawned over Moscow, where he had just spent eight days as the dictator’s special guest. 

“It is so much nicer than any city in my country,” Tucker effused, adding, “it is so much cleaner and safer and prettier aesthetically—its architecture, its food, its service—than any city in the United States.”

But it wouldn’t be Tucker without more negative hyperbole and nods to fascism. He proceeded to pontificate on how he didn’t believe the “average person” in the U.S. “cares as much about abstractions as about the concrete reality of his life. And if you can't use your subway, for example, as many people are afraid to in New York City because it's too dangerous, you have to sort of wonder, like, isn't that the ultimate measure of leadership?”

Tucker then gushed about other cities, including Singapore, Tokyo, Dubai, and Abu Dhabi, that he thinks are nicer than those in America. 

“[T]hese cities, no matter how we're told they're run and on what principles they're run, are wonderful places to live that don't have rampant inflation, where you're not going to get raped,” he said.

Tucker’s fascistic dog-whistling about trains, based on a historic falsehood, is funny coming from a man who had a small television studio built in Maine in 2020 and doesn’t seem to have spent much time in New York City recently, and probably could count on one hand the number of times he’s ever ridden the New York City subway.

And while rape and sexual assault are notoriously underreported, the compilations of the statistics available show New York state has one of the lowest reported rape statistics in the United States.

The next steps for legal pot in Rhode Island

Advocates want to change these four things in the state cannabis law next year

By Christopher Shea, Rhode Island Current

(Leafly)

With infused drinks, charcuterie, and the blasting beats of Drake, a group of over three dozen industry advocates, leaders, and lawmakers gathered on a Friday night to celebrate the anniversary of the first legal marijuana sale.

The Dec. 1 celebration at an event space in Cranston’s Rolfe Square also served as a forum to discuss changes they want to see in year two: specifically around ensuring all Rhode Islanders have the chance to take part in this budding industry.

“The details are what matters,” Rep. David Morales, a Providence Democrat, told the crowd. 

Morales was one of three Democratic lawmakers who spoke at the celebration. Also speaking, but via video, were Providence Rep. Enrique Sanchez and Pawtucket Rep. Leonela Felix.

Since April, cannabis advocates have looked through the state’s 115-page law hoping to close loopholes they believe could create an unfair landscape in Rhode Island. During the celebration on Friday, they presented four proposals. Two require approval from the General Assembly and governor and two are under the control of the Cannabis Control Commission.

• Narrow qualifications for a social equity applicant 
• Expand the social equity fund with tax revenue 
• Activate fee waivers
• Offer provisional licenses

Fed policy on marijuana is evolving - but not fast enough

We shouldn’t treat cannabis like heroin. 

By Paul Armentano 

From "Reefer Madness" (1936)

Nearly a year ago, the Biden administration asked the Department of Health and Human Services to reconsider how marijuana is scheduled under federal law.

Under the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) of 1970, different drugs are regulated or prohibited according to their placement in five different “schedules.”

The federal government currently puts marijuana in Schedule 1 — the most restrictive level, which it shares with heroin, ecstasy, and other drugs. By definition, substances in this category must possess “no currently accepted medical use” or “accepted safety for use… under medical supervision.”

After a long internal process, the Department of Health and Human Services now recommends removing the drug from Schedule 1. While the explicit details of the recommendation aren’t public, Bloomberg reports that the agency is suggesting moving marijuana to Schedule III.

The HHS recommendation now goes to the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), which will conduct its own scientific review. In the past, most recently in 2016, the agency has categorically refused to reschedule the drug. We likely won’t know how the DEA will respond for some time.

In the meantime, some observers have lauded the proposed change as a giant step forward. But my own reaction is more restrained.

With the change in cannabis laws, drug testing policies must change too

Adults who drink alcohol legally outside work aren’t penalized. It should be no different for marijuana. 

By Paul Armentano 

Voters and politicians are reshaping America’s marijuana laws for the better. The possession and use of cannabis is now legal for medical purposes in 38 states and legal for adult recreational use in 23 of those. 

Unfortunately, antiquated and discriminatory drug testing policies often haven’t kept up with these changes.

It’s reasonable for employers to expect sobriety on the job. But requiring would-be hires and employees to undergo urine screens for past cannabis exposure are invasive and ineffective. They neither identify workers who may be under the influence nor contribute to a safe work environment.

That’s because conventional urine tests only identify the presence of non-psychoactive “metabolites” — by-products that linger in the body’s blood and urine well after a substance’s mood-altering effects have ended. 

Even the U.S. Department of Justice acknowledges: “A positive test result, even when confirmed, only indicates that a particular substance is present in the test subject’s body tissue. It does not indicate abuse or addiction; recency, frequency, or amount of use; or impairment.”

Rhode Island marijuana industry becomes fertile ground for unionization

Pot bosses resist efforts to prevent labor strife

By Christopher Shea, Rhode Island Current

As a patient-care specialist at Warwick’s RISE Dispensary, Bruce Botelho recommends strains to customers and oversees purchases at a job he said initially provided good benefits and a friendly atmosphere.

“It’s a really fun job, the people I work with are great,” he said. 

Yet things soured quickly after Chicago-based Green Thumb Industries took over the former Summit Medical Compassion Center in 2021, he said.

While there were few changes at first, Botelho said employee discounts were reduced after the transition to recreational sales earlier this year. Then hours for full and part-time workers were cut without warning. 

“It feels sometimes like we’re actively being punished for choosing to work here,” he said.

It was that final decision by Green Thumb to cut hours that spurred Botelho to unionize his workplace in May. Within a month, workers at RISE voted 50-6 to form a union with United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 328.

Charlestown Town Council plate runneth over

Upcoming Town Council Meetings - Mar 27, 29

From Charlestown Residents United

From left to right: Susan Cooper (CCA), Rippy Serra (vice-president), Deb Carney (president), Grace Klinger, Steve Stokes

We have three, yes THREE, Town Council meetings coming up on Monday, March 27, and Wednesday, March 29. Here is your preview.

Monday's meeting will start at 7 pm in the town hall council chambers as usual. The agenda and backup materials can be seen here.

Here are some notable topics from the agenda:

• The Council will be considering new Zoning rules for Public Storage Facilities and perhaps schedule those rules for the formal public hearing on April 24. Public Storage Facilities were removed as an allowed use on April 11, 2022 with that restriction set to expire on April 30, 2023. This proposal would extend that restriction for another year. More details can be read here.

• There has been previous discussion about Cannabis regulation (reported here and here). At this meeting there will be a discussion of draft ordinance changes for that purpose. Starting here in the agenda packet, you can read the history in Town Council minutes, the new draft, and comments on that draft by Joseph Warner, the Town Building Official (dated March 20, 2023).

• There has been a ongoing issue with bills for "out of scope services" from our financial auditors, that total about $56,000. The Town has been struggling to receive adequate explanation of the work and the authorization for it. This will be discussed again. The agenda packet section for this topic, starting here, does not appear to include any new information.

• The Council will consider directing the Parks and Recreation Director to obtain quotations for lighting and electricity for Puchalski Field, behind town hall. The agenda packet gives a paragraph of rationale here.

• Scott Keeley proposed new signs for our Town Beaches at the February 27 Council meeting (reported here). This meeting includes an agenda item to consider developing new signs. The details can be read in the agenda packet here.

• The South Couth County Tourism Council has proposed something called the South County Troll Trail as a tourism initiative. The Council will discuss whether to participate in this. The details are in the agenda packet starting here.

On Wednesday, March 29, there will be two Council meetings:

The first Wednesday meeting will start at 6 pm and will be held jointly with the Planning Commission to discuss Commercial and Village Design Standards. This is an outcome of the February 27 Council meeting here there was some concern about how the bid process was handled and how the work would be done, reported here. The agenda packet has details including the detailed minutes of that section of the February 27 meeting.

The second Wednesday meeting will start at 7 pm and will be devoted to discussion of a report on Operational and Organizational Assessment of the Town’s financial processes and internal controls by consulting firm Clifton Larson Allen LLP. The agenda packet includes the report.

As usual public attendance in person in town hall is allowed for these meetings. They will be offered as a live stream to view through WebEx as described in the agenda. People watching online will not be able to comment or ask questions. The video of the sessions should be available for viewing on the morning after each meeting, on the meetings page. It will be down the page in the Past Meetings section.

Council considers village district guidelines, affordable housing and pot shops

Feb. 27, 2023 Town Council Meeting Report

From Charlestown Residents United 

New sign design suggested by Scott Keeley

Our preview of this meeting was published here.

The agenda packet for this meeting is here. The video for the meeting can be viewed here.

Scott Keeley appeared under Persons Wishing to Be Heard to speak about signage at the town beaches. He lamented the condition and quality of the current town signs and the misinformation on private signs near the beach. 

He showed some ideas for new signs, that would include statements of the constitution rights to use the beach. These can be seen in the agenda packet here.

Planning Commission Chair Ruth Platner spoke for awarding the bid for Commercial and Village Design Standards. (agenda item Fiscal Matters A) This work will produce guidelines for village areas of town. The result will come to the Council for possible adoption in zoning regulations. 

There was considerable discussion, initiated by Councilmember Stephen Stokes and taking almost half of the meeting time, about whether the bid period of approximately 3 weeks over the New Year was sufficient to receive the best bid. Only one bid was received. 

The current bid was rejected and the Council asked the Planning Department to re-issue the RFP for a period of 30 days to receive more bid options.

The town solicitor suggested that he could draft a cannabis sales ordinance based on other examples that are readily available, with the objective of bringing a draft for discussion to the Council in a month. The Council approved that.

The Council requested that the town solicitor draft an affordable housing trust fund ordinance to put a better framework around management of town funding for affordable housing. The Council expects to review this in April.

Council member Stephen Stokes initiated the agenda item to request an advisory opinion from the Planner and Planning Commission about giving development options among Conventional, Cluster and Conservation Development. 

He stated the objective, to give more flexibility. He asked for the advisory opinion to be delivered by April 10, 2023. This motion passed 4 - 1 with Councilor Cooper opposing.

The meeting adjourned at 8:38 pm.

CBD is not a cure-all

Here’s what science says about its real health benefits

Kent E Vrana, Penn State

Since 2018, it has been legal in the U.S. to use a drug made
from purified cannabis-derived cannabidiol – CBD – to treat
certain childhood seizure disorders.
 Visoot Uthairam/Moment via Getty Images

Over the last five years, an often forgotten piece of U.S. federal legislation – the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018, also known as the 2018 Farm Bill – has ushered in an explosion of interest in the medical potential of cannabis-derived cannabidiol, or CBD.

After decades of debate, the bill made it legal for farmers to grow industrial hemp, a plant rich in CBD. Hemp itself has tremendous value as a cash crop; it’s used to produce biofuel, textiles and animal feed. But the CBD extracted from the hemp plant also has numerous medicinal properties, with the potential to benefit millions through the treatment of seizure disorders, pain or anxiety.

Prior to the bill’s passage, the resistance to legalizing hemp was due to its association with marijuana, its biological cousin. Though hemp and marijuana belong to the same species of plant, Cannabis sativa, they each have a unique chemistry, with very different characteristics and effects. 

Marijuana possesses tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, the chemical that produces the characteristic high that is associated with cannabis. Hemp, on the other hand, is a strain of the cannabis plant that contains virtually no THC, and neither it nor the CBD derived from it can produce a high sensation.

As a professor and chair of the department of pharmacology at Penn State, I have been following research developments with CBD closely and have seen some promising evidence for its role in treating a broad range of medical conditions.

While there is growing evidence that CBD can help with certain conditions, caution is needed. Rigorous scientific studies are limited, so it is important that the marketing of CBD products does not get out ahead of the research and of robust evidence.

Lively Town Council meeting with a big ending

Jan. 23, 2023 Town Council Meeting Report

From Charlestown Residents United (CRU)

This was our second Town Council meeting this month, with some important topics that we previewed here.

This article summarizes what happened in the meeting. The agenda packet for the meeting is here.

The council chambers, though not having room for many people, was quite full for this meeting.

Ninigret Park Master Plan

Stephen Stokes proposed directing the Parks & Recreation Department to update the 2008 Ninigret Park Master Plan (complete wording too lengthy to type here during the meeting). Ms. Cooper suggesting simply designating this the 2023 Ninigret Park Master Plan. Ms. Carney suggesting emphasizing enhancement of the ball fields and a dedicated concert/festival area with, possibly, including electricity.

There was a lot of good discussion with support for the idea of an update and questions about specific things mentioned in Mr. Stokes proposal.

After the discussion, Mr. Stokes made his motion to initiate the master plan update with participation by the various stakeholders and considering changes in the park since the 2008 master plan. His motion can be heard at about 1 hour and 45 minutes into the video here. The motion passed unanimously.

Ninigret Park Memorandum of Understanding (MOU)

Charlie Vandemoer in his heyday in 2012 when he
conspired with the CCA to create a crisis we called
"The Battle for Ninigret Park" that was based on a collection
 of lies Charlie helped to concoct. As those lies were debunked,
the CCA (and Charlie) lost the battle and his consolation
prize was the MOU discussed last Monday.
These comments and photo by Will Collette. 

Mr. Stokes reviewed a letter from former Wildlife Refuge manager Charlie Vandemoer that was received by the town far after the events noted and clearly contains inaccuracies. Mr. Stokes made a motion to begin the 30-day notification period for revising the MOU and the start the revision process.

Ms. Klinger suggested that entering an MOU revision process is more drastic than needed and, lacking specific changes we want made, we may be better served by asking for corrections to the letter.

After discussion Mr. Stokes simply asked the interim refuge manager to send corrections to the prior letter to the town. The interim refuge manager agreed to that. No motion came to vote.

Zoning for Cannabis sales

The briefings on this topic from The Building Official and Town Planner can be read in the agenda packet here.

The Council unanimously passed a motion asking the ad hoc ordinance review committee to draft a template ordinance for discussion with legal counsel. There was discussion that policy decisions need to be made as input to this process and the Council felt that could work because the ad hoc committee has not been formed yet.

Town Administrator

The Council went into executive session around 10 pm. Upon return Council President Carney explained that the Council unanimously approved the resignation of the Town Administrator.

President Carney explained the terms of the resignation: affective February 13, 2023, last day in the office January 23, 2023. Comments from the audience were permitted and can be heard in the video recording around the 3 hour, 5 minute mark.

The entire meeting can be watched here.

Charlestown Council meets Monday: Last round-up for Stankiewicz?

 

 

Fellow Residents of Charlestown, The second January meeting of our Town Council will be held on Monday, January 23, starting at 7 pm. The topics planned for this meeting promise to command intense interest and generate town-wide discussion.  ·    There are two agenda items about Ninigret Park, ·    There will be discussion about zoning regulations for cannabis sales, ·    And there is an executive session on the agenda to consider a "Possible Resignation by the Town Administrator." The agenda is available here and we wrote a preview of the meeting here. The meeting will be held in person at Town Hall but the video will also be live streamed as described on the first page of the agenda. (People watching the live stream will not be able to comment or ask questions.)

 

With thanks, Tim Quillen, Chair Charlestown Residents United

 

Charlestown Residents United P.O. Box 412 Charlestown, RI 02813

 

Visit our Website

 

Good thing there’s edibles

Smoking Marijuana May Be Worse for Lungs Than Smoking Cigarettes

Radiological Society of North America

Airway inflammation and emphysema are more common
in marijuana smokers than cigarette smokers,
according to new research.

According to new research, airway inflammation and emphysema are more common in marijuana smokers than cigarette smokers. Investigators said the difference may be due to the way that marijuana is smoked and the fact that marijuana smoke enters the lungs unfiltered. The research study was published on November 15 in Radiology, a journal of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA).

Marijuana is the most-commonly smoked substance after tobacco and one of the most widely used psychoactive substances in the world. Amid the legalization of recreational marijuana in Canada and many states in the U.S., its use has increased substantially in recent years. With the growing use, there is an urgent need for information on marijuana’s effects on the lungs, something that is currently lacking.