Connecticut info
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Status of Medical Marijuana (Cannabis) in Connecticut.
Info on Connecticut and Medical CannabisConnecticut does NOT have a MEDICAL MARIJUANA (cannabis) LAW. Yet.
Marijuana decriminalization bill stalls in committee - Last update: June 18, 2009 | The 2009 legislative regular session has adjourned. Unfortunately, none of the marijuana policy reform bills passed this year, but advocates are continuing to work to reform Connecticut's marijuana laws. Click > here < for more.
ACTION; Get involved in the movement for safe and legal access to medical cannabis today. Our power comes from our collective action. Whether it's calling Congress, attending rallies, organizing a local activity or chapter, signing an online petition, or supporting federal defendants, take action today! There are a number of medical cannabis (marijuana) bills in play in states across the US. Here we network on Ways and Means anyone can help with the effort to make each a medical marijuana state. We need to get the word out and people contacting reps and officials and get this legislation into law. Also, lets not forget efforts at the Federal level.
NETWORK and Spread The Word, both On-Line and Off (!) ON-LINE, You can tell everybody in cyber-space by e-mailing a link to this website to them and/or (OFF-LINE> printing off the info and handing out where possible / necessary. Also phone call and read off and/or visit and hand deliver the info. You can take literature with you and approach businesses, organizations and even people on the street while you're out and about. Wear your pot-leaf shirt and register voters, as feasible. Gather signatures for any related petitions that are happening at the time as well.
This is a chain e-mail you can't refuse. Unlike most, this will actually help you - and a whole buncha others - just by passing it on. Cannabis consumer or not - from the folks just trying to take care of themselves or a loved one to those who simply see the expensive, immoral waste of making war on the sick and dying - everyone is affected by this issue.
To accomplish this you need to first click on the following links and send a message to all the reps and media you can on the issue. Then get everybody else to do the same. And follow up.
To do this you need to tell everybody you know. And can confide in. Then/or anonymously tell everybody you don't know - or can't confide in. Yet.
Tell everybody else by Letters-to-the-Editor, displaying signage at street corners and over-passes (wear trenchcoat, fedora and sunglasses if afraid of exposure), and/or anonymously leaving literature and posting on-line at places where people are likely to find it. Coffeeshops are good places to leave printed material and you can go to the websites of the local newspapers to post items as well. More ideas and supporting tools via the links below.
Inform, Educate, Activate
INFORM and EDUCATE. Distribute medical marijuana brochures and other literature to your friends, family, local leaders and elected officials in an effort to educate the public and garner support. Educate your community by Printing, posting and handing out Flyers and other Printables in a mall, coffee shop, laundromat, college campus, lamp post, telephone poll, business window (ask first), hospital, or anywhere people will see them. Contact these groups for some. If you or your Organization is doing the same, please Post It or give us Feed Back.
NORML / A Page Just For You / Medical Marijuana Patients | This section is to help you locate the information you need to become fully informed regarding medical marijuana -- as well as play an important role in changing America’s misguided marijuana laws. Printable materials and more ... visit:
Flyers and Printables by ASA | Educate your community. Print and post these flyers anywhere people will see them. ... visit:
You can also print and hand out MPP's medical marijuana brochures to your friends, family, local leaders and elected officials in an effort to educate the public and garner support.
OUTREACH and Gather TESTIMONY. Ask your doctor, clergy member, local leader, or organization you are a member of to sign a statement of principle. One way to get that done is to download MPPs medical marijuana statement of principle, print it out, and ask your doctor or other individual to sign it the next time you have the opportunity. Then send it to MPP at P.O. Box 77492, Washington, D.C. 20013.
And TESTIFY. If you are a patient or caregiver that could benefit from such a law and would like to help advance legislation by sharing your story with others. Call in to radio, TV and other media; write LTEs and contact you legislators. These groups are helping with this activity:
The Marijuana Policy Project (MPP) | contact them at P.O. Box 77492, Washington, DC 20013, or visit
NORML | Contact Your Elected Representatives And Urge Them to 'Stop Arresting Marijuana Smokers', visit -
ASA Online Action Center | Take action online to make your voice heard! Identify your representative and send a free message using our online action center. When your elected officials hear from you – and often – they are more likely to support our calls for safe and legal access to medical cannabis!
Meet with Your Elected Official | Meeting with our elected officials is very simple and very important. As citizens, they are here to serve us. Start building a relationship with your elected officials using this brief overview to help you get started.
Petition Your Senators to Support Research | ASA has created a petition that you can print out and circulate at your work, school, home, church, and in your larger community. Download and print out this petition calling on your U.S. Senators to support access to materials for FDA-approved medical cannabis research.
If you or your Organization is doing anything similar, please Post It or give us Feed Back.
Just GOTV (Get Out The Vote). Register Voters, Publicize current legislation (and what folks can do in support!) -or- how "they" voted in the last effort. Gather signatures for any and all cannabis law reform initiatives while Informing and Educating the public. Not one going in your state? Start one yourself!
More Legislative Tips and Tools > hereand we're sure you'll come up with more.
LETTER The EDITOR (LTE). Write a letter to the editor in support of medical marijuana. Writing a letter to the editor of your local newspaper can be a great way to foster discussion about marijuana policy reform.
MAPinc Tips, Tools and Tricks ... for Old Dogs and New! | Letter to the Editor Writing Resources, Media Contact Resources; How To Get Drug Policy On the Air in Your Community, How to write a Press Release, Media Contact On Demand!, Drug Policy Writers Group. plus, Additional Resources; Activist Tools, Community Audits and Initiatives Project, MAP Virtual Conference Center (Our Voice/Text Chat Server) and more! ... visit -
How To LTE by ASA | Write a Letter to the Editor of your local newspaper calling for safe access to medical cannabis. You never know who might be reading – a judge, policeman, or elected official! Use ASA's LTE action site to find information for your local paper and submit your LTE online, using talking points we've developed. Visit -
The Marijuana Policy Project (MPP) also has provided a list of talking points and encourages you to write a letter and get others to do so also. Feel free to contact them if you'd like help with your letter, and let them know if it gets published.
BROADCAST and PUBLICIZE. Help get the word out by downloading and sharing MPP's public service announcements with radio stations in your area. If you're a talk radio listener, call in and express support for medical marijuana laws. Even if the subject being discussed isn't explicitly about marijuana, many related issues can be a springboard for urging reform. For example, if the issue is health care, you can point out that treatment decisions are better off being left to patients and physicians than police and prosecutors.
Contact Marijuana Policy Project (MPP)for more.
Also - Circulate NORML's Public Service Announcements; Visit -
ACTIVATE. Facilitate Meetings and Meet-Ups in order to accomplish all the above as well as Gather Contact Info and Get people involved. These groups have sign-up sheets for e-mail addresses:
Meetings and Meet-Ups > Medical Cannabis Meetup Groups - Medical Cannabis Meetups around the world | Find a Medical Cannabis Meetup Group near you ... grouped by City and Country ... find the ones with the most people interested in Medical Cannabis Meetups in Connecticut ... international, national, provincial, municipal levels ... Visit -
Join ASA Email Lists | Communication is the key to organizing. Use ASA's listserves to keep up with breaking news on medical marijuana, to plug into your local community activism, and to effectively communicate with your peers. Visit -
Download NORML's eZine Signup Form | Visit - and send to - NORML: 1600 K Street NW, Suite 501, Washington DC, 20006-2832 -or- Visit - to sign-up on-line
Also, using MPP's sign-up sheets, collect as many valid e-mail addresses as you can and send them to MPP. You can scan and e-mail the information you collect to or mail it to MPP legislative analyst Nathan Miller at P.O. Box 77492, Washington, DC 20013.
ORGANIZE -and- EVENT. Organize an event or action item to attract people in order to further Inform, Educate and Activate. Don't forget to alert the media! Click > here < for Events in this region we're aware of.
Form / Join an independent group like a Patients Union | Patients across the country are forming Medical Cannabis Patients' Unions based on their shared diagnosis, needs or region. The Unions are a support network for patients and caregivers to fight for safe access to cannabis as medicine! ASA has info here > Visit -
So you want to have a marijuana rally? by NORML | For a rally to be truly successful, organizers and participants have the responsibility to ensure that more is achieved than mass euphoria. Find out all you need to know. here > Visit -
Resources for Organizers by ASA | Everything you need to be an effective activist: handbooks, outreach materials, graphics and more. Visit -
FILMFEST. Set up a free screening of the award-winning medical marijuana documentary "Waiting to Inhale" or other film. If you are interested in hosting a screening of "Waiting to Inhale", please contact Marijuana Policy Project (MPP) letting them know.
HEMPFEST. Set up a music, art or other -oriented event. Contact the folks at the Seattle Hempfest, they'll be happy to share how they do theirs.
VOLUNTEER and AFFILIATE. For example, ASA chapters and affiliates represent the core of ASA's grassroots activism. If there is no chapter or affiliate in your region, please consider starting one today. It's easy, and ASA staff will guide you through the process. Visit -
Help Spread The Good Word About NORML's Important Work by: - Printing and Distributing NORML-related info; Visit -
2.) Join and Support Your Local NORML Chapter; Visit -
2a.) Start Your Own NORML Chapter - Visit -
DIRECT ACTION and ACTS Of CIVIL DIS-OBEDIENCE
Protest, Rally and Demonstrate
Court and Prison Support
Write to Medical Cannabis Prisoners | Show solidarity and support for incarcerated medical cannabis patients and providers by writing to people on our list of medical cannabis prisoners. Visit -
More Legal Resources here, and Legislative and Action Tips and Tools > here < and we're sure you'll come up with more. If you or your Organization has any action items or ideas - for this region or in general, please Post It or give us Feed Back.
local Organizations, CONTACTs and other ResourcesA Better Way Foundation | A Better Way Foundation is a 501 c3 not for profit research and education organization dedicated to a shift in Connecticut drug policy from a paradigm that prioritizes criminal sanctions and incarceration, to one that supports public health and treatment. Our mission is to support statewide policies that increase access to drug treatment, prevent the spread of infectious disease and focus limited prison space on violent offenders. Contact: PO Box 942, Hartford, CT 06143-0942 * Phone: (860) 270-9586 * or visit:
Connecticut branch of Republicans for Compassionate Access | Republican's For Compassionate Access was started in Maryland by former Maryland Delegate Don Murphy. Don, a strong "law and order Republican" was touched by a constituent who was suffering from terminal cancer and wanted the legal right to try medical marijuana under a doctor's supervision. Maryland delegates were shocked to see Don's name as a sponsor but Don's courage to do what was right prompted other Republican's to consider the legislation. Maryland was one of the first states to pass an effective medical marijuana law. Today, Republican's For Compassionate Access is a growing group of Republican legislators who believe in state's rights and a patient's right to choose a medical treatment under a doctor's care. Co-Director of the organization, State Rep. Penny Bacchiochi of Connecticut, joined the group in 2005. Visit:
Other Locals? Will be listed here. As we get the info, visit: for the latest. Know about one yourself? Post it on the Bulletin Board, below.
Drug Policy Forum of Connecticut | This web site has been provided by DrugSense and is used in conjunction with the DPFCT email list. Features: Membership, Mailing List(s). ... Visit:
... Also | DrugSense / MAPinc > Drug Policy Organizations, Links and other Resources. Find a Resource near you -or- Enter yours! ... Visit:
The Law, LEGAL ResourcesConnecticut (CT) MJ LEGAL Resources, by NORML. NORML Legal Committee members, and more for Connecticut, by NORML - the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws. ... Visit -
Also, here are some national / international Resources -
The Laws concerning marijuana in Connecticut. By NORML, the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws. Visit: norml.org/index.cfm?wtm_view=&Group_ID=4527 for more.
LegalJoint: Connecticut Marijuana Law. A general overview of marijuana law in the state of Connecticut including legal implications for anyone cultivating, using, selling or in possession of marijuana or paraphernalia. ... New! Medical Marijuana Brief Bank ... Visit:
Medicinal Marijuana - State-by-State American Laws | U.S. State Laws on Medical Marijuana Source: CNN Interactive .... Highlights: A licensed pharmacist may dispense cannabis type drugs to a person receiving ... click > here < for more.
U.S. Marijuana Laws, Medical Marijuana Facts, Cannabis, Hemp | Provides U.S. Marijuana Laws, Facts About Marijuana, Marijuana Drug Testing, Drug Detection Times, Medical Marijuana, and Information About Your Rights ... North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon... visit -
Erowid Cannabis Vault : Legal Status, U.S. LAW | Both Cannabis and Tetrahydrocannabinols, the active chemicals contained in Cannabis plants, are Schedule I in the United States. This means they are federally illegal to cultivate, buy, possess, or distribute (sell, trade or give) in all forms (cannabis plants, extracts, hash, hash oil, thc, etc) except synthetic THC (Marinol) which is Schedule III. The federal scheduling of Cannabis was disputed in 1988 by Judge Francis Young, an administrative law judge for the DEA, who recommended that marijuana be reclassified as schedule II on the grounds that if a respectable minority of doctors endorse it, then it has a "currently accepted medical use". Visit:
See Contacts section, below, for Organizations and other Resources for Legal Help.
International Law, LEGAL ResourcesLegal and medical status of cannabis - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia | Cannabis is in Schedule IV of the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs, making it subject to special restrictions. Article 2 provides for the following, in reference to Schedule IV drugs:
A Party shall, if in its opinion the prevailing conditions in its country render it the most appropriate means of protecting the public health and welfare, prohibit the production, manufacture, export and import of, trade in, possession or use of any such drug except for amounts which may be necessary for medical and scientific research only, including clinical trials therewith to be conducted under or subject to the direct supervision and control of the Party.
This provision, while apparently providing for the limitation of cannabis to research purposes only, also seems to allow some latitude for nations to make their own judgments. The official Commentary on the Single Convention indicates that Parties are expected to make that judgment in good faith. Click > here < for more.
LEGISLATION, Action Items and related ResourcesDrug Policy Alliance: Reform in Connecticut | The 2008 legislative session is now underway, and we’re continuing our efforts to win sane, effective, and compassionate drug policies in Connecticut. During this time we have won a number of significant drug policy reforms. The key to these successes in Connecticut is our strong relationship with local community organizations such as A Better Way Foundation. Our focus in 2008 will be to win medical marijuana and to reform the failed school zone laws that have promoted racial disparity in the state’s criminal justice system. DPA continues to promote sensible reforms in the state that will save money and lives. ... visit: