Pedestrians walk past the Rhode Island Statehouse. (David Goldman/AP)
An idea that would have once been unthinkable in the Rhode Island General Assembly found broad support in the final week of the legislative session: giving users a safe, supervised place to take their drugs.
For years, this concept crashed into the get-tough rhetoric of the war on drugs. But the toll of the opioid epidemic which legislators say claimed almost 400 lives in Rhode Island last year has sparked a reassessment. In making their case, some lawmakers cite how their own friends and relatives have died from overdoses.
State Rep. Justine Caldwell (D-East Greenwich), for example. She said her 23-year-old cousin overdosed while on Block Island in 2017, leaving a cascade of emotional pain for two roommates who did not initially realize that he had ODed.
How Rhode Island became the first state to approve supervised drug-injection centers thepublicsradio.org - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from thepublicsradio.org Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
RI Senate task force recommends granting police chiefs more leeway in disciplining officers Published Wed Dec 23 2020 21:33:27 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time) A state Senate task force is recommending that police chiefs be empowered to suspend officers without pay for up to 14 days. by Sofia Rudin
The Rhode Island Senate task force charged with reviewing the Rhode Island Law Enforcement Officers’ Bill of Rights on Wednesday finalized recommended changes to the law, which include altering the composition of disciplinary hearing panels, authorizing police chiefs to comment on investigations, and increasing public access to police personnel records.
“There was a balance during our deliberations whether to keep LEOBOR as is, to abolish it in its entirety, or to reform it. And the consensus reached was for reform,” said Sen. Harold Metts (D-Providence), who led the task force.