Title:
Malloy favors marijuana decriminalization
Message:
Believe it or not, Election Day is just four days away.
Governor Jodi Rell has been a staunch opponent of sensible marijuana policy
reforms, even vetoing a medical marijuana bill in 2007. But with her upcoming
departure, Connecticut voters have a chance to replace her with someone with
more sensible views. For example, decriminalizing the possession of small
amounts of marijuana. Last year the non-partisan Connecticut Office of Fiscal
Analysis studied the effects of a bill that would decriminalize possession of
under one half ounce of marijuana and determined that such a move would result
in over $30
million dollars in savings and revenue.
Even though this simple change seems like a no-brainer, only
one of the major party candidates in the race for the governor’s office
supports it – Democrat Dan Malloy. At a
campaign event at the University of Connecticut, Malloy said
he “absolutely” supports decriminalizing marijuana. The subject came up
again at a recent debate in Greenwich where Malloy reiterated his support for
decriminalizing. His opponent, Republican Tom Foley, however, said he would not
support decriminalizing even small amounts of marijuana.
What about medical marijuana? Once again, Malloy says
he supports compassionate access to medical marijuana for seriously ill
patients. And once again, his opponent is on the wrong side. Foley says he’s
against the legalization of marijuana for any purpose, medical or otherwise.
It’s hard to figure what Foley is thinking given the unprecedented popular
support for medical marijuana today.
So there you have it. One candidate, Malloy, supports
decriminalizing marijuana and medical marijuana, and his opponent opposes both.
You take it from there. If you need help finding your polling place or checking
the status of your registration, visit the Connecticut Secretary of State’s voter information
page. And most importantly, don’t
forget to vote!
