Global Ganja Report

Patient advocates applauded Gov. Dannel Malloy June 1 for signing the country's 17th state medical marijuana law. "We are encouraged that state officials are standing up to federal intimidation and moving ahead with the passage of important public health laws," said Steph Sherer, director of Americans for Safe Access (ASA), which worked with local advocates to help pass the Connecticut law. "We hope other states follow Connecticut's lead in passing medical marijuana laws so that patients are not left unprotected and vulnerable to law enforcement actions."

While advocates welcome the protections provided in the bill, they also cited a number of problems, including a prohibition on patients cultivating their own cannabis. In states such as New Jersey and Delaware, where the law has relied entirely on centralized medical marijuana distribution, federal intimidation has prolonged implementation and prevented patients from being able to safely and legally obtain their medication, ASA said.

Another contentious issue for advocates regarding the new Connecticut law is an overly restrictive list of qualifying medical conditions. For example, the qualification list excludes chronic pain, which is the condition for which the vast majority of patients in the US use medical marijuana. However, a provision of the law allows for the review and acceptance of additional medical conditions.

HB 5389 saw resistance from certain Connecticut lawmakers. For instance, during deliberations State Senator Toni Boucher (R-Bethel) introduced dozens of restrictive amendments. Although a handful of amendments made it to the floor for a vote, including limiting the law to terminal patients, all of them were rejected. (ASA, June 1)

Graphic by Herbal Remedies 

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