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. [continues 677 words]
HARTFORD - The packed hearing room erupted in cheers Tuesday when Regulations Review Committee members approved rules for how medical marijuana will be grown and dispensed in Connecticut. The voice vote came after more than two hours of questions about how the federal government would view the state's decision to regulate the industry and change how marijuana is classified. The vote clears the way for the Department of Consumer Protection to license three to 10 marijuana producers and dispensaries by January. [continues 77 words]
The Regulations Review Committee postponed action Tuesday on changing marijuana from a Schedule I to a Schedule II drug as it prepares to legalize the drug for medical purposes. Approving the regulation is one step toward legalization, but some members of the committee felt they didn't have enough information to take a vote so it was postponed until next month. Rep. Vincent Candelora, R-North Branford, said he's concerned about approving a regulation that would put Connecticut at odds with federal laws and regulations regarding marijuana. [continues 374 words]
WHEN school officials in Canton allowed police officers to search the hallways and parking lots at the middle school and the high school with drug-sniffing dogs last June, their effort netted the arrest of one student found with a small amount of marijuana. But the search also resulted in a long-running discussion in the community about whether the school was violating students' rights by using a longstanding but rarely employed school board policy that allowed school officials to lock students in their classrooms as it searched for drugs. [continues 621 words]
