For Ellen Smith, who lives with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome and sarcoidosis, Rhode Island’s medical marijuana program has been a critical lifeline. She and her husband, Stu, have fought for years to protect patients’ rights and advocate for improvements to the law.

Even before the COVID-19 outbreak, advocates were working with lawmakers to push significant reforms to improve Rhode Island’s medical marijuana program and lower costs for patients. Now, with a serious economic downturn in the state, many patients are struggling with even greater financial hardships. Due to public health concerns, the General Assembly has suspended its session, and it is unclear if or when legislators will reconvene. Under normal circumstances, the legislature would be holding…