By Nick Rosa
The Bill to help legalize medical marijuana in Connecticut has leaped its first hurdle in the State Legislature last Wednesday and could soon be on Gov. Dannel Malloy’s desk. Malloy does support this Bill, which can be put into action as early as Memorial Day.
This bill has failed once before back in 2007 and so far this year it has gained lots of support since then. Representative Penny Bacchiochi (R) is the sponsor of the current bill and stated that she was able to successfully treat her terminally ill husband’s pain with marijuana. Along with her personal story she was able to gather support from fellow legislators.
Of course, like everything else, Connecticut will have a firmly strict regulations around this bill that limit prescriptions to those with terminal illnesses, like Multiple Sclerosis, or illnesses where conventional pain medicine has failed, such as Glaucoma. Prescriptions would be limited to a one year supply and all growing and distribution would have to take place inside the state’s borders and marijuana providers would be licensed by the state.
It has already gained popularity from CT citizens being in favor of 68 percent according to a recent poll done by Quinnipiac University.
If it is passed it still will have many hurdles to clear before everything is set in stone. You’ll have the federal government on its toes and ready raid anything, especially in a small state like CT. Look what they do in California already, when they’ve had set laws there for years.
With all the work that still has to be done, this bill is still a huge stepping stone for reforming marijuana laws. Not just in Connecticut but for the country as a whole. Connecticut will become the 17th state to allow medical marijuana.
But remember it’s still illegal, but decriminalized, so still be careful when toking up. We’re still 3,000 miles away from the real land of the free.
Let's be NORML 