Medical Marijuana Considered in CT

According to William Weir’s article in the Hartford Courant, the General Assembly’s judiciary committee passed a bill on April 5 allowing patients with specific medical conditions to grow marijuana.

This bill passed 34-10 and now the Senate will review it. The article states that a patient must have cancer, glaucoma, AIDS, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease or some “debilitating medical condition” to be eligible to grow a limit of four marijunana plants. With a signed certification from their doctor, a patient could not get in trouble with the law when it comes to possessing this drug.

You can read the rest of the article here: http://www.courant.com/health/connecticut/hc-weir-medical-marijuana-0406-20110405,0,7390437.story

Many positive arguments have been made about legalizing marijuana. For one, it is said that it could improve the economy if it is regulated because the government would have control over the distribution. Since they would be selling it as opposed to drug dealers on the down-low, they would make a profit. In addition, since patients who need medical marijuana can’t get in trouble for possession, the state would save money because there would be less people put in jail for using the drug.

College students have many differing opinions about the legalization of marijuana. Here at CCSU, we have a club called NORML which stands for the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws. Many students have been hoping for a change in legislation when it comes to marijuana, and legalizing medical marijuana would be a step in the right direction. Sophomore Jen Glifort thinks that marijuana should be legalized.

“It isn’t addictive, like many painkillers,” said Glifort.

Colleen Cordner also agrees that this drug should be legal.

“I think legalizing it would lessen the allure for a high number of people. Also, considering the fact that alchohol and cigarettes are both legal, I think pot is in roughly the same category and should be legalized in a controlled manner in the same way,” said Cordner.

CCSU alum Alan Kagan thinks that marijuana is not as dangerous as some other substances.

“More crimes and accidents SEEM to happen due to high alcohol levels or use of other drugs. Not that marijuana is much safer, but it does not lead to as many problems as underage drinking or heavier drug use,” said Kagan.

Some people, like Jess Dean, believe that only medical marijuana should be legalized.

“Recreational [marijuana] should not be legal but the penalty should be lessened because it’s dumb to have a lot of people in jail for that,” said Dean.

There are also people on campus who are opposed to legalizing marijuana altogether. CCSU student Samson Hampton doesn’t think that the positives of legalization outweigh the negatives.

“It’s not the pot that’s the problem. It’s the dumb, dangerous stuff people do while they’re high. It’s the bad choices people make,” said Hampton.

It seems like the issue of legalizing marijuana will always cause differences in opinion and will bring up even more issues. If you ask me, the fact that legalizing medical marijuana is currently a possibility and some states (like Massachusetts) have already decriminalized possessing it for personal use, complete legalization will happen at some point.