Polisena Weighs In On Compassion Centers

As the Rhode Island Health Department meets today to consider 18 applications for so-called "compassion centers," or facilities where medical cannabis would be distributed to qualified patients, Johnston Mayor Joseph M. Polisena is among the local officials who don't want to see such centers in their communities.

Johnston is not one of the towns on the list of potential sites; nearby Cranston is. Polisena explained during a recent interview that, while he generally supports the idea of compassion centers, he doesn't necessarily agree with attempts to place them in local cities and towns.

"As a nurse, I understand the theory behind it, but I'd be lying if I said I wanted them in town," Polisena said. "I don't want them near schools [or] near Memorial Park. "

Polisena, who served with Thomas C. Slater, one of the namesakes of the law, in the Rhode Island General Assembly, suggested that compassion centers may be better placed closer to health providers.

"I don't have a problem with the idea, but where it would go — if it's meant to help patients, place them near the hospitals," said Polisena. "I'd be concerned about one coming into town."