Could this finally be the year
for medical marijuana in Connecticut?
Near the end of the 2011
legislative session, Connecticut legislators were dealing with two bills
addressing marijuana policy reform. One aimed to decriminalize possession
of small amounts of marijuana. The other would have made Connecticut the 17th
state to allow for the physician-approved use of medical marijuana.
Unfortunately, the legislature was not able to sort out the details on how
medical marijuana could be produced and distributed, so the medical marijuana
bill stalled. The good news is that the legislature was able to pass the decrim
bill.
If you haven’t already,
please take a moment to email your legislators in Hartford and ask them to co-sponsor medical marijuana legislation in 2012.
Rep. Penny Bacchiochi is
expected to sponsor this legislation, and for good reason. Her knowledge of
marijuana’s medical benefits is all-too-personal. When her late husband was
dying of bone cancer, she watched him lose over 80 pounds due to a loss of
appetite and inability to hold down food. When his doctor suggested marijuana,
she went out and obtained it herself and was astonished at the results. He regained his appetite
and kept food in his stomach,” Bacchiochi, a Republican from Somers, recalled.
Since then, she’s been a tireless advocate for medical marijuana, even talking
to lawmakers in neighboring states.
We will be helping Rep.
Bacchiochi and the staff of A Better Way Foundation make medical marijuana a
reality in Connecticut in 2012. Help us get started by asking your legislators to co-sponsor a medical marijuana bill.
Connecticut Decriminalizes Possession of
Marijuana
On the next to last day of
the 2011 session, after an epic five hour debate, the Connecticut House of
Representatives gave its approval to SB 1014, a bill to decriminalize the
possession of less than half an ounce of marijuana. The Senate passed the bill
the day before, after a marathon debate of its own. Governor Dan Malloy signed
the bill into law on June 30, and it took effect the next day.
The new law
removes criminal penalties for the use or possession of less than half an ounce
of marijuana and paraphernalia, lowering the penalty from a misdemeanor to a
civil violation. Rather than facing up to a year in jail and fines of up to
$1,000, first time offenders are cited and assessed a $150 civil fine.
Subsequent offenses are subject to increased fines of $200-$500, and upon a
third violation, offenders are referred to a drug awareness program. Most
importantly though, they are no longer arrested or saddled with a criminal
record. In addition to the fine, anyone under 21 who is found responsible for
possessing less than a half-ounce of marijuana faces a 60-day suspension of
their drivers' licenses.
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