After a raucous debate last night that lasted longer than anticipated, the Connecticut senate passed a medical cannabis bill approved by the House earlier in the session that will now head to Governor Dannel Malloy’s willing pen for signature.
With Connecticut passing a medical cannabis bill, approximately one third of the US population now resides in a state that has decided to act in favor of it’s citizens’ will, as compared to the remarkably recalcitrant federal government, which, moronically, still insists cannabis is a dangerous ‘narcotic’ and has no accepted medical value what so ever.
Congratulations to Connecticut NORML and it’s coordinator Erik Williams for leading the charge to write and pass this important and affirming legislation (Erik and company had previously worked the legislature hard in 2011 to pass cannabis decriminalization laws)!
“Today is a day of hope, compassion and dignity and I thank all of the legislators who worked hard on this legislation and who voted to pass this bill,” said Erik Williams, Executive Director of Connecticut NORML. “I am so happy for all the patients who will have another medicinal option to discuss with their doctor and for all of those currently suffering with debilitating conditions who will no longer suffer the indignity of being sick and a criminal.”
The statewide efforts of Connecticut NORML resulted in tens of thousands of phone calls, emails, patient and legislator meetings, and letters to legislators. “Patients and doctors told their stories and asked legislators to tell them ‘No, you haven’t suffered enough,'” said Williams. “Many others stressed that this bill did medical marijuana the correct way and that Connecticut had an opportunity to be a leader in America on this issue. Our strategy and dedication has obviously paid off.”
Connecticut’s bill creates guidelines and regulations for cultivation centers and dispensaries.
Read more about Connecticut’s new medical cannabis law here.
The New England clean sweep may happen this year with the New Hampshire legislature possibly overriding the Governor’s oft veto of their medical cannabis bills next week. In Massachusetts, this November voters are expected to approve by a large margin a medical cannabis legalization initiative (in 2008 Massachusetts voters approved a decriminalization initiative by a whopping sixty five percent).
From west to east, the states with legal protections for lawful medical cannabis patients are: Hawaii, Alaska, Washington, Oregon, California, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, Montana, Colorado, Michigan, Delaware, New Jersey, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Vermont and Maine (as well as the District of Columbia).
Help us reform the marijuana laws in your state by making a donation to NORML today! Together we WILL legalize cannabis.
When science and evidence based research, especially in this day and age, takes a back seat to cruel and punishment-based ideologies, we not only have bad policy, we have a direct threat to the very values of compassion, humility, and respect for one another that have made this country a great example to the world for so long.
How come all you forget about Arkansas Medical Marijuana Act? We are on;y62 days away from getting this act on the ballot for November. We all the support that we need from you guys. Arkansas WILL be the first southern state to pass Medical Marijuana. Set back take seat and watch how southerner’s do it.
Good news!
I liked your use of the word ‘moronically’. You are not calling them names, just stating an obvious fact.
Technically, a moron has a mental age of at least 4. I’d argue that a four year old would have the mental capacity to do the right thing here, which the feds lack. I challenge the nomenclature.
Seriously though, be careful which comparisons you use. ‘Retard’ is already banned. The rest will follow :/
It’s a very interesting bill that is a step in the right direction. It sets the State up for a total “for profit” system of cultivation and distribution. Patients are not allowed to grow their own medicine, they must get it from dispensaries that are supplied by one of the 3-10 production centers that the Dept of Health allows.
Again, this is a huge step forward and hopefully in time patients will be able to grow their own medicine instead of having to pay for it so the State gets its cut.
Not moronic; mendacious.
J
Mr. Owl, how many states does it take to convince the minds of the federal government: Pot is Good?
we need 50
I am a CT resident and i say its about time my state help its ppl rather than hurt them, the dictatorship of gov dannel malloy is devastating and has lowered the quality of life in general , however the man does kno wut hes doing with marijuana reform, he decriminalized and medicalized, about time damnit 🙂
Una pena que en Mexico se hable ingles(no he podido enterarme de nada)
I would like to thank Norml and Erik Williams for their hard work. The legislation is well written and covers many angles. As a Union Electrician, drug testing is quite a hurdle. Pre-employment, accident, random and even near miss tests are common on the bigger projects.
I have Acromegaly and Cannabis helps all of my many symptoms.
In 1996 I spent 3 months in jail for having dried flowers in my pocket.
Thanks again, I hope to register and get on living my life.
@Marco.
I haven’t read the bill or anything else outside of this article, and I’m therefor only replying to your post.
How is patients not being allowed to grow their own a step in the right direction? It seems to me that it’s a step in a dangerous direction, a direction that opens the door to Big Pharma being in control once again over the people!
Just a thought.
it sure would be nice to allow people to grow their own,not every one can afford the medicine they need already let alone an extra 1,000 dollars a month for this medicine, i hope the commission they set up realize this tiny little fact.
34% of 50 States will now have mmj laws. 9 more and there will be a majority. Are there any states that will have this on the ballot where the Governor won’t veto?
[Paul Armentano responds: This was passed legislatively; thereby it awaits action from the Governor — who will sign it. Ballot measures do not need the approval of the Governor.]
Medical Marijuana is not the first step to legalization and really just hurts the cause. Arguing that it’s a medicine gives government cause to keep it medical and only let big pharma run it all. We do not want this….
You mentioned a third of the USA legalizing medical cannabis but you didn’t mention Montana, Michigan and Arizona . These states have either appealed their previous medical marijuana laws or are doing so as of this writing which makes it less than a third of America .
[Paul Armentano responds: The medical cannabis laws in all three of these states above are active. Aspects of Montana’s law were rolled back by lawmakers in 2011. Michigan’s remains unchanged. Arizona’s law also remains unchanged and the state is now accepting applications for dispensaries.]
I am happy for the patients.
Think Dannel Malloy will give a signature?
[Paul Armentano responds: Yes.]
Now we need to get my state of Illinois on board. Or anywhere close. Im willing to relocate
The country has been taken over by the Communists and the centralized banks.
Activist Judges and Lawyers make The Peoples vote null and void as do these Feds and their militarized police brigades and these DARE “programs” aka The “BRAINWASHING.,” in all the Public schools.
im so happy its legal. about damn time. its honestly helped me a lot through depression and shit and now i wont be a criminal for having it if i can get a perscription for it.
I know that Tennessee had a bill on the books for this year, but the bill was killed. Hopefully, it will be (guessing on the terminology here) “reopened” next year.
This shows how backwards the midwest is. I live in Missouri so narrow-minded people seem to be the norm(no pun). This is the state the DEA or police raided a place and shot a dudes dog because it was barking…
If NORML can win some ground in the midwest, that will go a long way for the cause. I wear a norml t-shirt.
Little by little the drug war is being won.
All we need now is a President who understands that marijuana is safe, but prisons aren’t. It’s too bad that, no matter which doofus wins this year, we aren’t getting that President.
Hell yeah Gary I am getting signatures for the Arkansas Medical Marijuana petition things are looking good.
Go Huskies!!!
If you live in Connecticut and want to end marijuana prohibition in our state, please take a minute to visit http://www.ctprimaryproject.com.
Please pass this on to anyone you know in Connecticut!
New Connecticut Medical Marijuana law says “NO, YOU CAN’T GROW YOUR OWN.” WHAT A JOKE. TERRIBLE LAW. BIG BROTHER CONTROLS EVERYTHING, WE ARE NOT AS FREE AS WE THINK!!!!
I live in the bible belt. Kansas to be exact! They are still trying to “protect” my uterus since the fact that I have a vagina makes me unable to make my own decisions about my uterus and what I can do with it. I doubt, very seriously, that they will trust my judgement about other health concerns. I wish we were evolved enough to be number 18.
Tendrian que legalizarla y dejarse de tonterias.
People cant live without that urban if not they be drinkin and drivin and swervin
As I rapidly approach age 60, I’m tired as hell of waiting for our idiotic govt to finally do the right thing – which is obvious to anyone with an IQ over 50 – to end prohibition!
God I hate the idiots running things in our Federal Govt! Obama is a prime example of idiocy. He is courting the votes of young people but completely refuses to even consider what it is that the majority wants…
Not than Romney is any better…
But – get this – Gary Johnson is now the Libertarian party candidate and I think that we, as thinking human beings, should all give him our vote!!!
This is still not acceptable because arguing that it’s a medicine gives government cause to keep it medical and only let big pharma run it all, thus making it another government project by the gov for the gov. Watch …..it could be deception…just sayin’ Liberty says just legalize it all and no citizen should be hurt by anothers behavior….therefore keeping government small and not impeding on our rights in any way.
narcotic? God made marijuana, man made liquor. Now who do you trust???????
Fellows, chill.
Medical marijuana is Okay. Look, the people who need medical marijuana need a lot more of than a casual toker does, unless you’re Bob Marley. But seriously, what is wrong with drug companies , or even better: marijuana companies providing them what they need?
The facts are marijuana isn’t dangerous enough to require a doctor’s prescription and that is telling in itself. Once people see how harmless it is, that none of “Reefer Madness” crap is true, that the plant has a 1,000 and one uses they never heard of… Yeah, it is going to legal all the way.
Letting sick people use it as part of their treatment just happens to be one of the most obvious things it can be used for.
I love the new sites popping up like DispensarySeek.com that are little little pot googles.
I hope it will be Medical Legalized or just Legalized is Sweden that would be awsm!
God will always have his way and his law obviously trumps federal law. Go Conneticut! never needed federal interference then and still don’t now. Already legal when God created it and gave it to all men.
The numbers of states for medical cannabis can only increase. It was California for MMJ first and then other states are following. After November in Colorado for regulation of cannabis like alcohol passes, the same thing will happen.
Just imagine that because of the Timothy Leary case before the Supreme Court in the late 60’s, the Marijuana Tax Stamp Act became *unenforceable.* It was at that time that the misguided and unethical prohibition should have ended. Instead, Nixon ordered a commission to study the subject. After they recommended that cannabis shouldn’t be illegal, Nixon passed the Controlled Substances Act which would lead to the creation of a failed drug war and a handful of wasteful federal agencies; 40 more years of pointless stupidity.
One has to wonder…why did he even bother to sponsor a commission at all? After he just disregarded their conclusions entirely, his motives became even more transparent and exposed his poor character in a way that even his political opponents couldn’t have done to him.
The question is, who ordered/bribed Nixon to initiate this Controlled Substances nonsense and its absurd system of scheduling, in order to remove cannabis from market competition? That answer should be public information.
In a couple of days the DEA(th) go to court to try and explain their position that has been indefensible and unconscionable for over 40 years. My bet? Their defense will consist of the usual inane and regurgitated non-arguments and lies.
Their best excuse they can muster will be, as it almost always is, “but, but, it’s a controlled substance, schedule I, even.”
Never mind that “controlled substance” and “schedule I” labels were invented by Nixon and his attorney general, neither of whom gave a single good reason to justify their poor and unethical policy. Scheduling has nothing to do with safety so their defense in court will inevitably be a parroted and fallacious appeal to false authority.
—-
On 5/11/2012, the DEA goes on trial for blocking medical cannabis research
http://www.maps.org/mmj/dealawsuit/MAPS_Oral_Args_11May2012_PR_FINAL.pdf
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MONDAY, MAY 7, 2012
CONTACT:
Allen Hopper, Criminal Justice and Drug Policy Director, ACLU of California
Contact via Communications Director Laura Saponara: 510-367-8453
U.S. APPEALS COURT TO HEAR ORAL ARGUMENTS IN CASE
CHALLENGING DEA’S DENIAL OF LICENSE FOR MEDICAL
MARIJUANA PRODUCTION FACILITY
On Friday, May 11, the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit in Boston, Mass., will hear oral arguments in a federal lawsuit against the Drug Enforcement Administration for denying University of Massachusetts-Amherst Prof. Lyle Craker a license to grow marijuana for privately funded medical research. The arguments are the culmination of nearly 11 years of legal and administrative proceedings seeking to end the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) monopoly on the supply of marijuana for research.
The lawsuit is a response to an August 15, 2011, final order issued by the DEA rejecting a DEA
Administrative Law Judge’s 2007 recommendation that it would be in the public interest to grant Craker the license. A laboratory at the University of Mississippi funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse is currently the only facility in the U.S. permitted to grow marijuana for research. Craker is represented in the case by Washington, D.C., law firm Covington & Burling LLP and the American Civil Liberties Union.
Craker first applied in June 2001 for a DEA license to start a marijuana production facility at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst under contract to the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS), a non-profit research and educational organization whose mission includes developing marijuana into an FDA-approved prescription medicine. Prior to Craker’s application, NIDA had refused
to sell marijuana to two FDA-approved MAPS-sponsored protocols, preventing them from taking place. In September 2011, NIDA refused to sell marijuana to a third FDA-approved MAPS-sponsored protocol, this one in 50 U.S. veterans with chronic, treatment-resistant posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), preventing it from taking place. MAPS and Craker are working to open the door for privately funded drug
development studies conducted under FDA regulations.
Despite increasingly widespread recognition of marijuana’s therapeutic benefits and formal policies in 17 states and the District of Columbia, the federal government still insists that marijuana is a dangerous drug with no medical value. Even if MAPS and Craker’s efforts to open the door for privately funded,
federally regulated non-profit medical marijuana research are successful, it will likely take a decade for marijuana to become an FDA-approved prescription medicine. In the meantime, getting PTSD patients access to the treatments they need will depend on the continuing success of state-based medical marijuana policy reform.
DOCKET TO BE CALLED FRIDAY, MAY 11, 2012 AT 9:30 A.M
COURT OF APPEALS PANEL COURTROOM, 7TH FLOOR
BEFORE JUDGES: Torruella, Lipez, Howard
09-1220 Lyle E. Craker v. Drug Enforcement Administration
Appellant 15 min. Appellee 15 min.
###
The Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit research and
educational organization that works with government regulatory agencies to develop whole-plant
marijuana into an FDA-approved prescription medicine.
More information is available at http://www.maps.org/research/mmj.
The Petitioner’s Reply Brief in Lyle E. Craker v. Drug Enforcement Administration is available at
http://www.maps.org/mmj/dealawsuit/2012.05.04_Craker_Reply.pdf.
Imagine what Nixon smoked??
beyond judgement..beyond recognition,
pure aknowledgement…..baby…whatever????????.
I agree with justin… this is not good. Also what ARE the specific conditions needed to get a license? It says it over and over in EVERY link the exact same article…
‘The measure also outlines diseases that would be treated by the drug, establishes a registry for patients and caregivers and restricts cultivating the plant to growers with permits.’
This is baaaaaaaad. Legalized? I guess. But now I HAVE to smoke state shit.. IF I can claim a good enough reason to GET an Rx. Every one will probably know you smoke then too, creditors, your work, the state.
Blow this s@#t up there @ss.
[Paul Armentano responds: One, the text of the law, which outlines the “debilitating medical conditions” conditions, is here: http://search.cga.state.ct.us/2012/TOB/H/2012HB-05389-R00-HB.htm. Two, the state is not growing cannabis. It is licensing individual growers to cultivate cannabis.]
I just want to contrast how PATHETICALLY SLOW cannabis relegalization has been proceeding.
Who would ever have dreamed that Obama would flip on gay marraige – an issue IN ITS RELATIVE INFANCY and even more controversial than cannabis prohibition- before he would on cannabis relegalization?? OUTFUCKINGRAGEOUS!!
http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/05/09/11621156-obama-backs-same-sex-marriage?lite
California politicians back Marijuna legalization . Here’s something from, California’s, Nancy Polosi,
“I have strong concerns about the recent actions by the federal government that threaten the safe access of medicinal marijuana to alleviate the suffering of patients in California,” said Pelosi, “and undermine a policy that has been in place under which the federal government did not pursue individuals whose actions complied with state laws providing for medicinal marijuana.”
PS – I voted for Obama in the first election & was going to in the 2012 election but , President Obama has now lost my vote along with millions of others .
Connecticut. What about getting the feds out of the way? Obama is playing double standard, and I want the feds to stop spending any money on marijuana on a national scale, medical marijuana on a national scale.
You know they’re talking some shit when they say they’re going to continue to enforce federal law, and Obama don’t say shit.
Quoted May 9, 2012 from the Huffington Post:
The president’s support of same-sex marriage will have little political impact, from a practical standpoint, as much of the activity on the issue is currently occurring in the states and the courts. Already the Obama administration’s Department of Justice has stopped defending the constitutionality of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), which defines marriage as a legal union between a man and a woman. Legislation to overturn DOMA outright would likely be blocked by congressional Republicans.
End quote.
What that means is that if the feds can just decide they aren’t going to enforce DOMA that they can also fuckin decide they are not going to enforce medical marijuana cannabis prohibition on a national scale, and not ONLY in MMJ stats as is being voted on in the House.
Quote from DPA:
I’m writing to urge you to VOTE YES on the bipartisan Rohrabacher-Hinchey-McClintock-Farr Amendment to H.R. 5326, the Commerce, Justice, and Science appropriations bill currently under consideration in the House of Representatives. This amendment would PROHIBIT the Department of Justice from using federal funds to prevent the implementation of state laws authorizing the use of medical marijuana. This amendment would save significant tax dollars, curb overfederalization of areas traditionally reserved for the states, and protect the states’ rights to choose how to regulate medical marijuana without fear of federal interference.
If the feds can just do this even if it’s only in MMJ states, non-MMJ states will be jumping on the cannabis money train once they see the feds are out of the way.
More importantly people in states that are currently non-MMJ states will be able to get their medicine and not have to do without. Others will be able to get their medicine lawfully.
Medical marijuana is not the end-all solution, and even though there is no master plan to end prohibition, it was a crucial first step.
After generations of social conditioning, propaganda that explicitly claims “pot will ruin your life, blah blah” and lies, the MMJ movement was like getting a foot in the door. We all know, for over 5000 years, it’s medicine but also useful in myriad other ways (industrial use, environmental use, nutritional use, recreational/spiritual use).
The medical aspect of cannabis was ultimately the best hope at driving a stake into what was an impenetrable iron wall of federal fascism out of control–claiming to help and protect people–while actually just terrorizing citizens.
The industrial hemp aspect could not have allowed for precedent setting legislation because the legal ability to grow hemp in the US was the major driving force that started the prohibition.
The recreational drug aspect would never have been “justification” enough to begin changing the prohibition, even though no one need to justify or explain their personal use of a drug that is far safer than those deemed “legal.”
The medical aspect, which has inscrutable evidence backing cannabis as a palliative treatment for acute and chronic illness, is what made the initiatives clearly more about human rights, and not the claim that “stoners just want the right to party” which creates a knee-jerk reaction among the indignant, the ignorant, and the DARE-educated. Medical marijuana had a far better chance against fighting a Pyrrhic battle against a cadre of special interests fighting together against industrial hemp farming in the US; a nearly futile attempt to take down the [corrupt] USDA and FDA, timber, energy, textile, nutrition interests.
Cannabis is not just about medicine and so the legalization of cannabis cannot remain only about medical permissions. Even though a great deal of progress has been made, that progress cannot remain solely medical in nature. First because, as has already been demonstrated, the lists of “allowable” ailments that qualify for MMJ are way too short. Pathetically short, and decided by legislators, not doctors. They don’t even allow therapeutic cannabis for war veterans with PTSD. The illnesses that are good enough to warrant government permission can be counted on maybe one hand, like glaucoma, cachexia, neuromuscular spasticity, multiple sclerosis. Then the registration process to get a card is sketchy too. Although the medical history or reason for taking MMJ is confidential, all information about the registered patient, like name, address, condition is private information (to creditors, employers, etc).
EXCEPT that the info is freely available to the Feds at any time they want it. This gives them license to do what they usually do, what they’ve been doing–busting people for dried flowers, search and seizure, arrest, imprisonment, terrorism and sadly, killing.
MASS and CO are voting to legalize for recreation in November. Medical cannabis merely opened the floodgates and started a sincere dialog (not just lies and stonewalling the citizens’ demands) but it’s not enough, clearly.
It’s not a crime. in. any. way. for responsible people. Cannabis use is a personal choice that doesn’t warrant disapproval or even criticism, for whatever reason. People will understand this better as time goes on. Time will have to undo all the cultural socialization and brain-washing, based on lies and stupidity which has continued for generations,
Where is PA? Someone take us out of the dark Ages!!!
^ Paul Armentano’s response to Rob is great. This is a step in the right direction when you consider that until now there were no legal protections for patients in Connecticut. But, Medical Marijuana is not good enough in the long term, and the MMJ industry could eventually stand in the way of full legalization. It’s happening here in WA right now.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compassionate_Investigational_New_Drug_program
to provide patients with 9 ounces a month while saying cannabis has ho value is a crime against us all
does Irvin Rosenfeld ring a bell? it should
My take on this; the federal government says that 9 ounces is a month supply
a great idea is to have a seed bank for patients to obtain the proper strain and grow. seeds are easy to transport, store and distribute. if they fall into the wrong hands, it would take a few months to get something useable and if they can figure out how to get something useable, let ’em smoke it
keel up the good work that you do NORML
Adam says is very true…at least here in Washington State, I have spoken to various people who either support medical-mary-jane or even work in a Medical Dispensary. Unfortunately, it seems that dispensary owners are educating their employees about how “medical marijuana is enough”. Bull shit. The reality is that there is a secret club of medical growers who are abusing/milking out this awkward situation of a half-legal industry. On top of that, growing marijuana, or any other weed/flower, and selling it at the exhorbant street prices just the same as the black market prices, anywhere up to $200-300 an once. That sounds like the easiest job ever, and they will continue making ridiculous amounts of money with a simple flower business, until full legalization comes and allows mass produced marijuana at say, 10 bucks an once, plus 40 in taxes (at most): $50 an once, 2020!
Ill be going to college in Connecticut 🙂 this is great news.
Legalize it and tax. I’m not a user but I do live in a country that can use more jobs; as well as the tax revenue.
What about conservative Georgia? When will the republicants controlled govt of Georgia, be true conservatives?
Maybe someday. Mike Smith is running on the Democratic ticket in District 69. He openly supports legalization. However, District 69 isn’t very progressive and Mr Smith, an attorney, who is an out-of-the-closet atheist, is running against incumbant Randy Nix, whose day-job is listed as “Local Pastor”. I think Mike Smith is a brave man doing what he’s doing, and I’d vote for him if I lived in the 69th district. I think that his chances of winning against a pastor are slim because of his secular status, but I think the very action of running is going to positively raise awareness.
Someone, somewhere in Georgia may read “GA House Candidate Mike Smith supports legal marijuana” and HOPEFULLY that person will think “Hmm, I wonder why…” and be prompted to do their homework on the subject. I haven’t met anyone who has read what I’ve read who still thinks prohibition is a good idea. The problem in GA is getting the word out so that folks do their own research.
now it’s time to sell the house and get out of this Commie liberal State, may the Hartford
political idots rot in you know where