Rhode Island: Governor Lincoln Chafee scrapped the plan for fear it was illegal under federal law. “Federal injunctions, seizures, forfeitures, arrests and prosecutions will only hurt the patients and caregivers that our law was designed to protect,” the governor said in the statement late Thursday (9.29.2011). Rhode Island considered state run facilities called “compassionate centers” but will no longer pursue the plan in fear of federal involvement. Patients and caregivers will still be able to cultivate their own medicine but state run facilities will no longer be an option. There are currently around 2,500 licensed caregivers in the state.
