Connecticut to Legalize the Sale of Medical Marijuana
Connecticut is about to become the latest state to legalize the sale of medical marijuana. After ten hours of debate, the Connecticut senate passed a bill with a vote of 21-13 early Saturday morning that would legalize the sale of medical marijuana. Once Governor Dannel Malloy signs the bill, which he is expected to do, they will become the seventeenth state (plus the District of Colombia) to legalize the selling of prescription weed.
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The state has come close to passing legislation on legalizing medical marijuana before. The motion fell on the floor of the House once in 2003. A bill was narrowly passed a year later on 75-71 vote, but then Governor M. Jodi Rell vetoed the bill once it came to his desk.
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The latest bill contains restrictions that other states don't have that lawmakers believe will make it harder for the bill to be exploited by people who can find the "right" doctor. Anyone hoping to get a medical marijuana license in Connecticut will have to have certification from a physician that they have a "debilitating medical condition, such as cancer, glaucoma, HIV, AIDS, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis or epilepsy." After that, anyone who qualifies and their primary caregivers will have to register with the Department of Consumer Protection. The weed itself will only be distributed by pharmacists who obtain a special license.
