Hearings took place today before the Joint Committee on Public Health to debate legislation (S.B. 1263) that would license physicians to possess and supply marijuana for the treatment of neurological disorders, AIDS wasting syndrome, glaucoma, or the side effects of chemotherapy. State law in Connecticut already allows physicians to prescribe marijuana to seriously ill patients, but fails to provide guidelines regarding supply.
The legislation also permits seriously ill patients and/or their caregivers to possess and cultivate marijuana for medical use. If an individual’s marijuana is wrongly seized by law enforcement, the measure mandates that the marijuana or drug paraphernalia be returned to the owner.
S.B. 1263 also protects physicians under state law. Although issuing a prescription for marijuana remains in positive conflict with federal law, the measure exempts physicians licensed in Connecticut from any state criminal charges. Currently, a federal lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia is challenging whether the federal government can legally sanction physicians who prescribe marijuana in compliance with state law.
NORML Board Member Dr. John P. Morgan of City University of New York (CUNY) Medical School testified on behalf of the bill. Morgan testified in favor of similar legislation in both Maine and Virginia earlier this year.
The Joint Committee on Public Health is chaired by Sen. Tony Nathaniel Harp (10th District).
For more information, please contact either Paul Armentano or Allen St. Pierre of NORML at (202) 483-5500 or visit NORML’s website for an up-to-date listing of all pending state marijuana legislation at: http://www.norml.org/. Sen. Tony Nathaniel Harp may be contacted by writing to the Connecticut Legislative Office Building, Room 3000, Hartford, CT 06106, or calling (860) 240-0560.
For more information on the federal lawsuit filed in Washington, D.C., please contact Attorney Rufus King of Berliner, Corcoran, & Rowe at (202) 293-5555.