| Photo: Ocean State Cannabis |
The new colonel of the Rhode Island state police wants state health officials to provide law enforcement with information about medical marijuana caregivers if they are targets of criminal investigations.
Col. Steven G. O’Donnell told The Associated Press that being able to verify whether an individual is authorized to grow cannabis at home would prevent unnecessary police search warrants and raids.
O’Donnell claimed it would save money on investigations and protect participants in the state’s medical marijuana program.
Regulations prohibit the Rhode Island Department of Health from publicly disclosing who is authorized to grow medical marijuana, or to use it to treat illness.
Medical marijuana patient advocates said they are not ruling out the involvement of law enforcement, but they want medical information to be kept private.
Medical marijuana is currently grown privately in Rhode Island. Governor Lincoln Chafee put plans for state-licensed dispensaries on hold after receiving a letter from the U.S. Attorney for the state that threatened to prosecute dispensary operators and landlords.