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1 US CT: UConn Study: Teenage Pot And Alcohol Use Can Reduce SuccessMon, 06 Nov 2017
Source:Hartford Courant (CT) Author:Hladky, Gregory B. Area:Connecticut Lines:62 Added:11/06/2017

Teens who use a lot of marijuana and alcohol are less likely to have a full time job when they grow up, or to get a college education or get married, according to a new study by University of Connecticut researchers.

The study of 1,165 young adults from across the U.S. also found that dependence on pot and booze may also have a "more severe effect on young men" than on young women.

"This study found that chronic marijuana use in adolescence was negatively associated with achieving important developmental milestones in young adulthood." - Elizabeth Harari, University of Connecticut researcher.

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2 US CT: Police: Shootings That Left 2 Dead Were Drug-RelatedMon, 25 Sep 2017
Source:Hartford Courant (CT) Author:McWilliams, Kathleen Area:Connecticut Lines:96 Added:09/27/2017

Two men were killed in Hartford in a few-hour span Friday into Saturday.

Six people were shot, two fatally, in separate narcotics-related shootings in Hartford Friday night and Saturday morning, police said.

As of Sunday morning, victim identifications were being withheld, but Deputy Police Chief Brian Foley said at least one of the victims was from out of state.

Foley said the two shootings immediately appeared to be narcotics related, with heroin, cocaine and other drugs found at the scene. Police said they believed multiple guns were involved and at least one of the shootings was described as a "gunfight."

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3 US CT: Oped: Should Parents Lie About Smoking Pot?Fri, 07 Jul 2017
Source:Hartford Courant (CT) Author:Pelham, Teresa M. Area:Connecticut Lines:88 Added:07/11/2017

"Hey, Mom. Have you ever smoked weed?"

The only question perhaps trickier than this would include either algebra or an unwanted marriage proposal.

I kind of thought I didn't have to worry anymore about getting asked this question. The teen questioner and I had just sat down to lunch at Plan B with his grandmother. It totally threw me off.

Years ago I remember seeing a public service advertisement by the Office of National Drug Control Policy showing a coffee mug that read "#1 Hypocrite." The organization's stance was that parents should not be honest about any past drug use with their children. If we are, it surmised, kids could look at our successful lives and think that using drugs won't negatively affect their future.

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4 US CT: As Marijuana Debate Continues, A Little Girl's Life Is ChangedTue, 04 Jul 2017
Source:Hartford Courant (CT) Author:Vella, Vinny Area:Connecticut Lines:314 Added:07/05/2017

There are good days for West Tarricone. Days when she can laugh and live like any other 9-year-old. Days when she can play with her brother, Blake, and watch "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" on her iPad.

But there are also bad days. Days when her body weathers 100 seizures. Days when it has closer to 1,000 - some lasting more than 90 minutes.

Lately, she's been having more good days thanks to Connecticut's new experiment with medical marijuana.

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5 US CT: Oped: Forum: Clergy Support Regulating Marijuana Like AlcoholThu, 29 Jun 2017
Source:New Haven Register (CT) Author:Praver, Rabbi Shaul Marshall Area:Connecticut Lines:80 Added:07/03/2017

As clergy, we write in support of proposals to tax and regulate marijuana in Connecticut. It may seem counterintuitive for a rabbi and a minister to adopt this view. We believe, however, that people of faith have a special responsibility to speak about what policies serve our communities best.

Of course, we recognize that marijuana should not be used by youth and can become addictive for some individuals at any age. Given these realities, our focus must be not to prohibit all use, but to respond in the most effective way to the possibility of abuse. Regulation and education - not prohibition - are the best path. We learned this a long time ago concerning alcohol.

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6 US CT: Malloy Announces Legislative Proposals To Help Curb OpioidThu, 26 Jan 2017
Source:Hartford Courant (CT)          Area:Connecticut Lines:44 Added:01/28/2017

[photo] This Feb. 19, 2013, file photo, shows OxyContin pills arranged for a photo at a pharmacy in Montpelier, Vt. (Toby Talbot / AP)

Flanked by commissioners from a half-dozen state agencies, Gov. Dannel P. Malloy announced legislative pointed at prescription drugs, a dangerous pathway to opioid addiction.

"Every city and every town in the country has been touched in some way by substance abuse -- and in particular the growing prescription pain killer epidemic. Our local communities are no exception. This is a complex crisis that does not have one root cause, nor does it have a simple solution," Malloy said in a statement. "Addiction is a disease, and together we can treat and prevent it. Our work on this front will not be finished until our communities and our families are no longer struggling with the grave costs of this illness."

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7 US CT: CDC: Connecticut Second In Percent Increase Of SyntheticSun, 22 Jan 2017
Source:Hartford Courant (CT)          Area:Connecticut Lines:116 Added:01/23/2017

[photo] In this Aug. 9, 2016, photo, a vial containing 2mg of fentanyl, which will kill a human if ingested into the body, is displayed at the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Special Testing and Research Laboratory in Sterling, Va. A 2mg dose of fentanyl is fatal to 99 percent of humans. A novel class of deadly drugs is exploding across the country, with many manufactured in China for export around the world. The drugs, synthetic opioids, are fueling the deadliest addiction crisis the U.S. has ever seen. (Cliff Owen / AP)

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8 US CT: City Devastated By Oxycontin Use Sues Purdue Pharma, ClaimsTue, 17 Jan 2017
Source:Hartford Courant (CT)          Area:Connecticut Lines:181 Added:01/17/2017

[graphic] This motion graphic shows how OxyContin flowed out of Los Angeles.

A Washington city devastated by black-market OxyContin filed a first-of-its-kind lawsuit against the painkiller's manufacturer Thursday, alleging that the company turned a blind eye to criminal trafficking of its pills to "reap large and obscene profits" and demanding it foot the bill for widespread opioid addiction in the community.

The suit by Everett, a city of 100,000 north of Seattle, was prompted by a Times investigation last year. The newspaper revealed that drugmaker Purdue Pharma had extensive evidence pointing to illegal trafficking across the nation but in many cases did not share it with law enforcement or cut off the flow of pills.

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9 US CT: Strung Out At 4 A.M.: Emergency Room Doctors Treating HeroinSun, 15 Jan 2017
Source:Hartford Courant (CT) Author:Budde, Kristin S. Area:Connecticut Lines:118 Added:01/16/2017

At four in the morning, the hospital's emergency department lights fluoresce directly into your brain. Everyone, everything looks green, especially the midnight heroin users. They are always shivering. Partly the withdrawal, partly the cold, damp Connecticut weather. They tend not to have proper jackets.

On a stretcher in the hallway, a 25-year-old "opioid withdrawal" is curled up with three hospital blankets pulled over his head. I gently shake his leg, but nothing is really gentle here. I introduce myself and whisper a question about what brought him in. No response.

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10 US CT: Three Dead From Suspected Overdoses Within 16 Hours InFri, 13 Jan 2017
Source:Hartford Courant (CT)          Area:Connecticut Lines:91 Added:01/14/2017

Three Dead From Overdoses In Hartford

[photo] Hartford police discuss what's needed to address the opioid crisis after three die in a short time from suspected opioid overdoses.

Within a 16-hour span that ended Thursday afternoon, police said that three people died from suspected overdoses. Investigators believe opioids are to blame, possibly the powerful synthetic fentanyl.

"We suspect, only based on patterns of what we've seen lately, that fentanyl will be an issue with these," Deputy Chief Brian Foley said Thursday afternoon. He noted that it's too soon to know for sure, but the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner will do autopsies on the victims.

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11 US CT: Ct Mom Believes Marijuana Plant Oil Can Help Kids WithWed, 04 Jan 2017
Source:Hartford Courant (CT)          Area:Connecticut Lines:69 Added:01/04/2017

Fighting Epilepsy: Should Children Be Given Controversial Cannabis Oil?'

Kim Hearn believes marijuana plant oil can help her 10-year-old son, who has epilepsy.

Each morning, Kim Hearn attaches a feeding tube to her son before outfitting him in specialized clothes that lend support to his torso, ankles and legs. A seizure often disrupts the process. It's a rigorous routine for this Stratford mom but it's nothing, she says, compared to what the 10-year-old, who can't speak or sit on his own, endures: "Sean just accepts it."

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12 US CT: Convicted Heroin Dealer Gets 34 MonthsSat, 31 Dec 2016
Source:Hartford Courant (CT) Author:Rondinone, Nicholas Area:Connecticut Lines:29 Added:01/02/2017

A New London man guilty of selling heroin that was believed to have caused a fatal overdose was sentenced Monday to 34 months in prison, federal officials said.

Rudy Hernandez, 43, pleaded guilty in July to distribution of heroin, according to the U.S. Attorney's office. He also faces three years of supervised release.

Authorities learned that a 25-year-old man in Groton, who had fatally overdosed, had arranged to buy heroin from someone who purchased the drug from Hernandez, the U.S. Attorney's office said.

In April, law enforcement searched his home and found heroin and cocaine, according to officials.

Hernandez has been in federal custody since April.

[end]

13 US CT: 5 Books Richard Branson Thinks You Should ReadSat, 31 Dec 2016
Source:News-Times, The (Danbury, CT) Author:Weller, Chris Area:Connecticut Lines:40 Added:12/31/2016

Richard Branson, the Virgin Group Founder and self-described tie-loathing billionaire, still finds time in his busy schedule to read.

As part of Facebook's recent #ReadToLead hashtag, Branson offered up the handful of titles that kept his attention in 2016.

We can't guarantee you'll follow in the entrepreneur's footsteps, but the books could certainly set you in the right direction.

[non-drug policy sections, skipped]

"Ending the War on Drugs" by Richard Branson Amazon

Edited by Branson himself ("I couldn't resist sneaking in a book I contributed to," he writes) "Ending the War on Drugs" is a compilation of essays about the global drug war and the many failed attempts to end it.

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14 US CT: Canada Takes Next Step Toward National MarijuanaFri, 30 Dec 2016
Source:News-Times, The (Danbury, CT)          Area:Connecticut Lines:105 Added:12/31/2016

While the US federal government remains stubbornly opposed to legalizing marijuana, our neighbor to the north is increasingly interested in cannabis commerce and moving away from pot prosecutions.

Even as voters in more U.S. states approved legalized recreational marijuana this November - and 28 states have legalized medical marijuana - the federal government still lists marijuana as an illegal drug.

However, just north of the border, Canadian leaders have started moving in the opposite direction.

Justin Trudeau, the prime minister of Canada and leader of the Liberal Party, created a committee in the summer of 2016 to look into the issues surrounding making marijuana legal for recreational use across the entire country.

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15 US CT: Inmate Forced To Take Drugs Will Represent Himself At TrialSun, 25 Dec 2016
Source:Hartford Courant (CT) Author:Eaton-Robb, Pat Area:Connecticut Lines:75 Added:12/28/2016

Should Connecticut compensate a prison inmate who was injected with psychotropic drugs against his will? A trial set for January, in which the inmate is representing himself, will decide.

The inmate, Kacey Lewis, was taken from his cell, shackled and subdued with pepper spray for some of the 42 injections he received from the medical staff at Northern Correctional Institution in Somers, according to court records.

U.S. District Judge Vanessa Bryant found the prison staff violated Lewis' rights to due process and ordered the civil trial, scheduled for the first week of January, to determine whether he is entitled to financial damages or other relief. The trial also will determine whether medical staff violated Lewis' rights against cruel and unusual punishment by being deliberately indifferent to his medical needs and through the suffering caused by the injections.

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16 US CT: 'An Opportunity To Be A Healer Again'Tue, 06 Sep 2016
Source:Register Citizen (CT) Author:Stannard, Ed Area:Connecticut Lines:169 Added:09/07/2016

Dr. Stephen Brown has become a believer in medical marijuana.

Since registering as a certifying physician 15 months ago, Brown has seen about 700 patients, and he believes it has helped a majority of them.

While certifying patients is required under state law for patients to buy medical marijuana, Brown takes pride in his physician's role. He spends time with each patient, takes a detailed medical history and follows up.

Brown was a reconstructive surgeon who retired from surgery when it became too physically taxing. He had started his career in the Army, repairing cleft lips and palates in a Saigon field hospital during the Vietnam War.

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17 US CT: 'An Opportunity To Be A Healer Again'Sun, 04 Sep 2016
Source:Middletown Press, The (CT) Author:Stannard, Ed Area:Connecticut Lines:171 Added:09/05/2016

Doctor Becomes Believer in Healing Power of Medical Marijuana

Dr. Stephen Brown has become a believer in medical marijuana.

Since registering as a certifying physician 15 months ago, Brown has seen about 700 patients, and he believes it has helped a majority of them.

While certifying patients is required under state law for patients to buy medical marijuana, Brown takes pride in his physician's role. He spends time with each patient, takes a detailed medical history and follows up.

Brown was a reconstructive surgeon who retired from surgery when it became too physically taxing. He had started his career in the Army, repairing cleft lips and palates in a Saigon field hospital during the Vietnam War.

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18US CT: High Court Sides With Pot-smoking EmployeeSat, 20 Aug 2016
Source:San Diego Union Tribune (CA)          Area:Connecticut Lines:Excerpt Added:08/20/2016

A Connecticut state worker fired after he was caught smoking marijuana on the job was punished too harshly and should get his job back, the state Supreme Court ruled Friday.

Gregory Linhoff was fired from his maintenance job at the University of Connecticut Health Center in Farmington in 2012 after a police officer caught him smoking pot in a state-owned vehicle. He was arrested, but the charges were later dismissed.

State officials said firing the New Hartford resident was the only appropriate penalty for his conduct. An arbitrator disagreed and overturned the firing, saying Linhoff instead should be suspended without pay for six months and be subject to random drug testing for a year after he returned to work.

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19 US CT: OPED: The Missing Scientific Case for Medical MarijuanaMon, 15 Aug 2016
Source:New Haven Register (CT)          Area:Connecticut Lines:66 Added:08/15/2016

The federal Drug Enforcement Administration has just issued a helpful reminder to all Americans. In denying a petition to loosen restrictions on marijuana, the agency repeated that the drug has "no currently accepted medical use" in the U.S.

This may come as a surprise, given that 25 states already allow doctors to prescribe marijuana to treat maladies from PTSD to Alzheimer's disease. Yet the truth is, research has yet to find firm evidence that marijuana can alleviate physical suffering.

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20 US CT: OPED: Learning From Europe On Drug PolicySun, 24 Jul 2016
Source:Day, The (New London,CT) Author:Stewart, Ryan V. Area:Connecticut Lines:113 Added:07/24/2016

America's drug policies are largely misguided.

Many people, from common citizens to seasoned politicians, are aware of this, and have sought to change these laws in response to the needless incarceration of indulgers and addicts and, as a consequence, an ever-expanding population of prison inmates - the largest in the world.

However, the ethos of the War on Drugs has, since the early 1970s, remained a powerful motivation for lawmakers and justice officials to maintain the status quo.

According to the Federal Bureau of Prisons, as of Jan. 30, 2016, the U.S. prison population was made up in large degree of drug offenders, with 46.6 percent of all inmates having been incarcerated for such offenses. The second-largest group of inmates by offense, classed under "Weapons, Explosives, Arson," made up just 16.9 percent.

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21 US CT: Column: Can Americans Hold Ourselves Together As aMon, 11 Jul 2016
Source:Register Citizen (CT) Author:Allen, Danielle Area:Connecticut Lines:85 Added:07/12/2016

Without a doubt, we Americans are in a bad way. The senseless deaths this week in Baton Rouge, La., Falcon Heights, Minn., and now Dallas are devastating beyond comprehension for the victims and their families. Each shooting is also an act in a shared national tragedy. The problems go down to the very roots.

The question of whether as a country we are headed in the right or wrong direction can no longer be answered simply with reference to policy matters such as the economy, education or foreign relations. Instead we face the fundamental question of whether we, the people, as a single people, are holding together and can hold together.

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22 US CT: Column: Can Americans Hold Ourselves Together As aMon, 11 Jul 2016
Source:New Haven Register (CT) Author:Allen, Danielle Area:Connecticut Lines:87 Added:07/11/2016

Without a doubt, we Americans are in a bad way. The senseless deaths this week in Baton Rouge, La., Falcon Heights, Minn., and now Dallas are devastating beyond comprehension for the victims and their families. Each shooting is also an act in a shared national tragedy. The problems go down to the very roots.

The question of whether as a country we are headed in the right or wrong direction can no longer be answered simply with reference to policy matters such as the economy, education or foreign relations. Instead we face the fundamental question of whether we, the people, as a single people, are holding together and can hold together.

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23 US CT: OPED: Treat Heroin Crisis As An EpidemicSun, 03 Jul 2016
Source:Day, The (New London,CT) Author:Salcedo, Sylvester L. Area:Connecticut Lines:84 Added:07/03/2016

On June 20, The Day published a guest commentary by Jim Spellman of Groton, "Stopping heroin at the source," which contended that "two appropriate recommendations have been offered to counter the heroin crisis - treat it as an epidemic and counter it as a village."

Left unclear was who determined that these are the two appropriate recommendations in all of Connecticut.

But, on his first point, I will agree that the heroin crisis in our state should be treated as an epidemic.

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24 US CT: Medical Marijuana Program 'A Model'Fri, 24 Jun 2016
Source:Middletown Press, The (CT) Author:Kramer, Jack Area:Connecticut Lines:78 Added:06/24/2016

The number of patients in the state of Connecticut receiving medical marijuana treatment has grown from 2,000 a few years ago to 11,000, according to Department of Consumer Protection Deputy Commissioner Michelle Seagull.

Connecticut legalized medical marijuana for adults in 2012. There are nine dispensaries in the state serving the more than 11,000 registered patients.

Seagull reported those numbers at a recent seminar entitled "Navigating Connecticut's Medical Marijuana Regulations," which was given at the Connecticut Bar Association's Annual Legal Conference.

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25 US CT: Medical Marijuana Program Touted As A SuccessThu, 23 Jun 2016
Source:New Haven Register (CT) Author:Kramer, Jack Area:Connecticut Lines:79 Added:06/23/2016

The number of patients in the state of Connecticut receiving medical marijuana treatment has grown from 2,000 a few years ago to 11,000, according to Department of Consumer Protection Deputy Commissioner Michelle Seagull.

Connecticut legalized medical marijuana for adults in 2012. There are nine dispensaries in the state serving the more than 11,000 registered patients.

Seagull reported those numbers at a recent seminar entitled "Navigating Connecticut's Medical Marijuana Regulations," which was given at the Connecticut Bar Association's Annual Legal Conference.

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26 US CT: Advocates Laud Medical Marijuana Law For MinorsTue, 31 May 2016
Source:New Haven Register (CT) Author:McLoughlin, Pamela Area:Connecticut Lines:126 Added:05/31/2016

MILFORD - Robert Fiore's childhood onset epilepsy is long under control, but he made it his mission to legalize medical marijuana for those under 18 in Connecticut after watching the CNN special report, "Weed," which featured the remarkable change cannabis oil made in a young girl with epilepsy suffering some 300 seizures a week.

I thought, "Why not bring it to Connecticut?" Fiore said.

The bill he helped introduce and pushed through his organization Connecticut Epilepsy Advocate, passed in the Senate, 23-11, in April and Gov. Dannell P. Malloy signed it into law May 17. Patients under 18 may cannot use products that smokable, inhalable or vaporizable and only for certain severe conditions.

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27 US CT: Connecticut Advocates Cheer Passage Of Medical Law ForTue, 31 May 2016
Source:Register Citizen (CT) Author:McLoughlin, Pamela Area:Connecticut Lines:128 Added:05/31/2016

MILFORD - Robert Fiore's childhood onset epilepsy is long under control, but he made it his mission to legalize medical marijuana for those under 18 in Connecticut after watching the CNN special report, "Weed," which featured the remarkable change cannabis oil made in a young girl with epilepsy suffering some 300 seizures a week.

I thought, "Why not bring it to Connecticut?" Fiore said.

The bill he helped introduce and pushed through his organization Connecticut Epilepsy Advocate, passed in the Senate, 23-11, in April and Gov. Dannell P. Malloy signed it into law May 17. Patients under 18 cannot use products that are smokable, can be inhaled or are vaporizable and only for certain severe conditions.

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28 US CT: Hospital Offers Police Departments Overdose DrugMon, 16 May 2016
Source:Hartford Courant (CT) Author:Rondinone, Nicholas Area:Connecticut Lines:45 Added:05/16/2016

Time is critical as respiration depresses from a potentially lethal dose of heroin, or possibly a cocktail including other opioids.

For those first on scene, they need access naloxone to quickly get the victim breathing again. Monday, Lawrence + Memorial Hospital in New London, which has seen a growing number of overdose patients, announced they will provide some municipal police departments with this drug for a year.

"Hospital leadership believed it was extremely important to get Narcan into the hands of first responders now," said Ron Kersey, the hospital's long-time EMS coordinator, in a statement. "There isn't the time for budget requests and grant submissions. They need the [naloxone] now because people are dying. The first day this Narcan was available to the Waterford Police Department, they saved a life."

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29 US CT: Senate Oks Medical Pot For MinorsMon, 02 May 2016
Source:Register Citizen (CT) Author:Stuart, Christine Area:Connecticut Lines:110 Added:05/02/2016

Bill Awaits Governor's Signature

HARTFORD - The Senate gave final passage to a bill Friday that would give children under the age of 18 access to non-smokeable medical marijuana.

The bill passed the Senate 2311 after more than three hours of debate.

The legislation, which received overwhelming approval in the House, faced stiff opposition from at least one Senator who introduced three amendments.

The bill would give minors with severe epilepsy and terminal illnesses access to marijuana after the approval of two doctors.

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30 US CT: Examining Opioid Addiction TreatmentSun, 01 May 2016
Source:New Haven Register (CT) Author:Hernandez, Esteban L. Area:Connecticut Lines:223 Added:05/01/2016

Dr. Leana Wen, a practicing emergency care physician and Baltimore's health commissioner, has seen what addiction does to patients.

Speaking to reporters this month in Baltimore, Wen recalled a patient, who developed an addiction and would lie about illnesses to ensure she had access to treatment, but then died of a heroin overdose after multiple attempts to get appropriate treatment.

"Our overall goal: We have to get people into treatment at the time that the need it," Wen said.

But the rate of fatal opioid overdoses has skyrocketed in the United States. Opioid-involved deaths more than tripled from 2000 to 2014, including an age-adjusted death rate increase of 210 percent from the same time span, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In 2014 alone, 28,000 people died of fatal opioid overdoses, according to the CDC.

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31 US CT: PUB LTE: High Cost Of Cannabis ProhibitionWed, 06 Apr 2016
Source:Hartford Courant (CT) Author:White, Stan Area:Connecticut Lines:29 Added:04/07/2016

Those who claim legalizing marijuana has resulted in an increase in youth cannabis (marijuana) use [April 5, courant.com, "Marijuana Advocates Make Fiscal Argument For Connecticut Legalization"] are directly contradicted by Larry Wolk, the head of Colorado's public health department. Recently interviewed in the Denver Post, Mr. Wolk said "there's really no statistically significant data yet to demonstrate that there is increased use among adults or teens."

Further, what is the cost and the health consequences of caging people for using cannabis? Cannabis prohibition's expense is astronomical when everything is considered, and minorities foot most of that bill. Prohibitionists haven't considered the true social cost to perpetuate and maintain one of North America's worst policy failures in history.

Stan White, Dillon, Colo.

[end]

32 US CT: Pot Proponents Push LegalizationWed, 06 Apr 2016
Source:Register Citizen (CT) Author:Kramer, Jack Area:Connecticut Lines:151 Added:04/07/2016

University of Connecticut student Jennifer Purdon is not shy talking about what she termed Tuesday as her "daily use of cannabis."

Purdon, who described herself as a double-major, honor student with a 3.6 Grade Point Average, said, "I just prefer it (marijuana) over alcohol."

Her testimony at a forum on recreational marijuana legalization brought a raucous round of applause from the largely supportive crowd that packed a hearing at the Legislative Office Building in Hartford. The informational hearing was sponsored by New Haven Democratic Reps. Juan Candelaria and Toni Walker.

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33 US CT: Proponents Urge Connecticut to Cash in on LegalWed, 06 Apr 2016
Source:Day, The (New London,CT) Author:Haigh, Susan Area:Connecticut Lines:66 Added:04/06/2016

Hartford (AP) - Proponents of legalizing marijuana in Connecticut urged state lawmakers on Tuesday to act quickly and capitalize on the "novelty factor" of possibly becoming the first New England state to allow recreational use of the drug.

Tracy Helin, of Middletown, who is registered to use the state's medical marijuana program to relieve cancer symptoms, warned legislators who attended an informational hearing on legalization that time is of the essence. Recreational marijuana legalization is being considered in Rhode Island, Massachusetts and Vermont.

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34 US CT: Prevention Group Launches State 'Stop Pot' CampaignTue, 05 Apr 2016
Source:Day, The (New London,CT)          Area:Connecticut Lines:45 Added:04/05/2016

The Governor's Prevention Partnership announced Monday that it has formed a statewide coalition to prevent the legalization of recreational marijuana in Connecticut.

Along with the Connecticut Association of Prevention Professionals and others, the partnership urged lawmakers to "consider the best interests of young people in the debate over legalization," according to a news release.

"Parents especially need to understand that marijuana is very harmful and addictive," said Jill Spineti, president and chief executive officer of the partnership. "Marijuana has a significant negative impact on a child's physical and mental health, development and overall well-being."

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35 US CT: Both Sides of Legal Marijuana Debate Gather at CapitolTue, 05 Apr 2016
Source:Hartford Courant (CT) Author:Blair, Russell Area:Connecticut Lines:54 Added:04/05/2016

HARTFORD There won't be a vote on legalizing marijuana for recreational use in Connecticut this year but that didn't stop supporters and opponents from speaking out at an informational hearing at the Capitol Tuesday.

Before Tuesday's meeting, a few dozen supporters gathered outside the hearing room and said meeting said legalizing marijuana would bring much-needed tax revenue and new jobs to the state.

"What's going to end up selling the bill is economy," said Michael Galipeau, a medical marijuana patient from Willimantic. "It makes economic sense."

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36 US CT: PUB LTE: No 'Sane or Moral' Reason to Prohibit PotMon, 04 Apr 2016
Source:New Haven Register (CT) Author:White, Stan Area:Connecticut Lines:40 Added:04/05/2016

With millions of people in line who can hardly wait to pay taxes, the dollar amount Connecticut could collect by regulating cannabis (marijuana) may be greater than anticipated (Think Green: Here's An Easy Way to Cut Our State's Deficit, Mar. 25, 2016).

As Oregon's Mail Tribune newspaper reported (First Pot Tax Collections Higher Than Expected, March 26, 2016), the Oregon Department of Revenue collected $3.8 million in taxes from cannabis sales in January, which in that one month, was equal to what experts were expecting for the entire year.

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37 US CT: Column: Drug-Sniffing Police Dog Violates Home PrivacyMon, 04 Apr 2016
Source:Register Citizen (CT) Author:Bhatt, Tejas Area:Connecticut Lines:156 Added:04/04/2016

Should police be permitted to use a drug-sniffing dog to roam the hallways of an apartment or condominium complex to search for contraband without getting a warrant from a judge? That is the question confronted by the state supreme court this week in a case called State v. Dennis Kono.

Hiding underneath that are several other considerations of importance: should the police's power to search a person's residence be any different depending on whether the residence is an apartment, condominium or free-standing house; and should the search for contraband outweigh any Fourth Amendment rights we have as citizens?

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38 US CT: Column: Drug-Sniffing Police Dog Violates Home PrivacyMon, 04 Apr 2016
Source:Middletown Press, The (CT) Author:Bhatt, Tejas Area:Connecticut Lines:156 Added:04/04/2016

Should police be permitted to use a drug-sniffing dog to roam the hallways of an apartment or condominium complex to search for contraband without getting a warrant from a judge? That is the question confronted by the state supreme court this week in a case called State v. Dennis Kono.

Hiding underneath that are several other considerations of importance: should the police's power to search a person's residence be any different depending on whether the residence is an apartment, condominium or free-standing house; and should the search for contraband outweigh any Fourth Amendment rights we have as citizens?

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39 US CT: Pot Advocates Hope To Keep Issue AliveSun, 03 Apr 2016
Source:Day, The (New London,CT) Author:Haigh, Susan Area:Connecticut Lines:67 Added:04/03/2016

Hartford (AP) - Even though two bills legalizing the recreational use of marijuana in Connecticut failed this session, proponents are seeking to keep the issue alive by holding a public informational meeting on the subject.

Reps. Juan Candelaria and Toni Walker, both Democrats from New Haven, are seeking input on the pros and cons of marijuana legalization from experts and members of the public. The hearing is scheduled for Tuesday at the Legislative Office Building. It will run from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

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40 US CT: Union: State Shouldn't Have Fired Man for Smoking PotFri, 01 Apr 2016
Source:Middletown Press, The (CT)          Area:Connecticut Lines:47 Added:04/02/2016

HARTFORD (AP) - The Connecticut Supreme Court is set to hear arguments Thursday on whether a state employee who was fired for smoking marijuana on the job was punished too harshly and should be reinstated.

Gregory Linhoff was fired from his maintenance job at the University of Connecticut Health Center in Farmington in 2012 after a police officer caught him smoking pot in a state vehicle. He had no previous disciplinary problems since being hired in 1998 and had received favorable job evaluations, according to his labor union. He was arrested, but the charges were later dismissed.

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41 US CT: Panel Shows It Takes a Community to Fight OpioidFri, 01 Apr 2016
Source:Day, The (New London,CT) Author:Drelich, Kimberly Area:Connecticut Lines:95 Added:04/02/2016

Old Lyme - As speakers at a community forum Thursday evening shared their or their loved ones' stories of recovering from heroin addiction, they were met with a standing ovation by more than 100 attendees.

The forum at Lyme-Old Lyme Middle School, organized by the Community Action for Substance Free Youth under the Lymes' Youth Service Bureau, focused on treatment and prevention of opioid addiction.

Parker Rodriguez told the audience that he grew up with a loving family in Lyme. At age 12, he had his first drink and went on to experiment with drugs.

[continues 582 words]

42 US CT: Column: Respondents Face Off on Legalizing Pot, How toFri, 01 Apr 2016
Source:New Haven Register (CT) Author:Beach, Randall Area:Connecticut Lines:115 Added:04/01/2016

Thanks, all of you spirited online commenters and phone-callers, for your varied and assertive messages reacting to my column last week in which I endorsed a proposed state law to legalize marijuana in the Nutmeg state.

Somebody called me a "liberal" (ouch!) and hung up. Another person branded me "a well-known leftist" (I plead guilty to that, too) who has "a false regard for mankind, coupled with the usual cynical disregard for what your proposed policies would do to real living and breathing people."

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43 US CT: Top Court Asked to Overturn Firing of Pot-Smoking StateFri, 01 Apr 2016
Source:Washington Times (DC)          Area:Connecticut Lines:36 Added:04/01/2016

HARTFORD (AP) - A lawyer for a labor union urged the Connecticut Supreme Court on Thursday to rule that firing a state worker caught smoking marijuana in a state-owned vehicle while on the job was too harsh a punishment.

Gregory Linhoff was fired from his maintenance job at the University of Connecticut Health Center in Farmington in 2012 after a police officer caught him smoking pot. He had no previous disciplinary problems since being hired in 1998 and had received favorable job evaluations, according to his union. He was arrested, but the charges were later dismissed.

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44 US CT: PUB LTE: Making A Case For Legalizing DrugsFri, 01 Apr 2016
Source:Day, The (New London,CT) Author:D'Esopo, Sanford Area:Connecticut Lines:40 Added:04/01/2016

In the April Harper's Monthly, author Dan Baum argues convincingly for legalizing all drugs.

He reveals that the "War on Drugs" was a sham from the start. The late, disgraced John Ehrlichman, Nixon's chief counsel, told him its real purpose was to discredit and harass enemies: antiwar hippies (marijuana) and blacks (heroin). Nixon's cynical war isn't merely an abject failure; it's created violent illegal trafficking, cost billions, and destroyed countless lives.

Almost everyone, including new "drug czar" Michael Botticelli, knows criminalizing drugs hasn't worked. The only sensible solution is to legalize, shifting the billions saved from enforcement and incarceration to regulation and treatment. Now-nonexistent taxes gained by legalizing could boost overstressed municipal, state and federal budgets.

[continues 89 words]

45 US CT: Was Police Dog Sniff Outside Connecticut Condo DoorWed, 30 Mar 2016
Source:Manteca Bulletin (CA)          Area:Connecticut Lines:43 Added:03/31/2016

HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) - A Connecticut marijuana bust has turned into a potential precedent-setting case on whether apartment and condo dwellers have the same rights as house owners when it comes to police using drug-sniffing dogs outside their homes.

The state Supreme Court on Wednesday is scheduled to hear arguments in the case of Dennis Kono, who was arrested in 2012 after a police dog deployed without a warrant in a condo building hallway in Berlin smelled marijuana near his door. Berlin police then obtained a search warrant for Kono's condo and found several small marijuana plants, seeds, growing equipment and firearms.

[continues 165 words]

46 US CT: Column: Think Green: Here's An Easy Way to Cut OurSun, 27 Mar 2016
Source:Register Citizen (CT) Author:Beach, Randall Area:Connecticut Lines:119 Added:03/27/2016

As two of our forward-thinking state legislators have noted, it's high time we considered legalizing marijuana in Connecticut.

State Rep. Roland Lemar and state Rep. Juan Candelaria, both New Haven-based Democrats, are co-sponsoring a bill that would legalize marijuana for recreational use. Although a Quinnipiac University poll last year found that 63 percent of Connecticut voters support legalizing small amounts of marijuana for recreational purposes, the bill's chance of passage is not deemed likely this time around. This is still, after all, the "Land of Steady Habits."

[continues 805 words]

47 US CT: Column: Think Green: Here's An Easy Way to Cut OurFri, 25 Mar 2016
Source:New Haven Register (CT) Author:Beach, Randall Area:Connecticut Lines:116 Added:03/25/2016

As two of our forward-thinking state legislators have noted, it's high time we considered legalizing marijuana in Connecticut.

State Rep. Roland Lemar and state Rep. Juan Candelaria, both New Haven-based Democrats, are co-sponsoring a bill that would legalize marijuana for recreational use. Although a Quinnipiac University poll last year found that 63 percent of Connecticut voters support legalizing small amounts of marijuana for recreational purposes, the bill's chance of passage is not deemed likely this time around. This is still, after all, the "Land of Steady Habits."

[continues 805 words]

48 US CT: Editorial: Legislature Should Approve Medical MarijuanaThu, 24 Mar 2016
Source:New Haven Register (CT)          Area:Connecticut Lines:92 Added:03/24/2016

The state legislature's Public Health Committee approved what might be considered one of the most controversial proposals put before them in decades: medical marijuana for children.

The bill, which now moves to the House for a vote, would give minors with severe epilepsy and terminal illnesses access to non-smokable marijuana, but only with parental consent and the approval of two doctors. It would be prescribed in pill or liquid form. The other conditions included in the bill include cerebral palsy, cystic fibrosis, uncontrolled intractable seizure disorders, or irreversible spinal cord injury with objective neurological indication of intractable spasticity.

[continues 609 words]

49 US CT: Editorial: Legislature Should Approve Medical MarijuanaThu, 24 Mar 2016
Source:Register Citizen (CT)          Area:Connecticut Lines:92 Added:03/24/2016

The state legislature's Public Health Committee approved what might be considered one of the most controversial proposals put before them in decades: medical marijuana for children.

The bill, which now moves to the House for a vote, would give minors with severe epilepsy and terminal illnesses access to non-smokable marijuana, but only with parental consent and the approval of two doctors. It would be prescribed in pill or liquid form. The other conditions included in the bill include cerebral palsy, cystic fibrosis, uncontrolled intractable seizure disorders, or irreversible spinal cord injury with objective neurological indication of intractable spasticity.

[continues 607 words]

50 US CT: Editorial: Legislature Should Approve Medical MarijuanaThu, 24 Mar 2016
Source:Middletown Press, The (CT)          Area:Connecticut Lines:92 Added:03/24/2016

The state legislature's Public Health Committee approved what might be considered one of the most controversial proposals put before them in decades: medical marijuana for children.

The bill, which now moves to the House for a vote, would give minors with severe epilepsy and terminal illnesses access to non-smokable marijuana, but only with parental consent and the approval of two doctors. It would be prescribed in pill or liquid form. The other conditions included in the bill include cerebral palsy, cystic fibrosis, uncontrolled intractable seizure disorders, or irreversible spinal cord injury with objective neurological indication of intractable spasticity.

[continues 605 words]


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