New Haven, CT While Massachusetts voters will decide on Election Day whether to legalize marijuana in the state, some Connecticut officials say their state is ready to decide, CT News Junkie reported.
New Haven Democratic Rep. Juan Candelaria said polls show a majority of Connecticut residents want it to happen, according to CT News Junkie. In fact a 2015 Quinnipiac poll showed 15 percent of voters support legalization.
Candelaria is familiar with this issue.
Patch reported in February that the state lawmaker had proposed a bill that would make recreational marijuana legal in Connecticut. It would allow marijuana use for people over the age of 21 and would regulate the sale, possession, use and growth of the drug.
Candelaria had even hosted an informational seminar on recreational marijuana at the state capitol in April, according to CT News Junkie, but made it clear they were not planning to push for legislation in the 2016 General Assembly session.
Candelaria sponsored a similar bill in the 2015 session that was not passed.
Connecticut decriminalized small amounts of marijuana possession in 2011. Someone found with less than half an ounce is fined $150 for the first offense and $200 to $500 for subsequent offenses.
Previously, possession of less than half an ounce was a misdemeanor and was punishable by possible prison time.
Gov. Dannel Malloy pushed for decriminalization of small amounts of marijuana in his first term in an effort to make the judicial system more efficient. Malloy has said in the past that he isnt ready to push for recreational legalization.
Further indication voters may be ready for such legislation is that the number of patients in the state receiving medical marijuana treatment keeps growing, CT News Junkie reported. If passed in November, the state also could see much-needed tax money being spent in Massachusetts.
News Moderator: Katelyn Baker
Full Article: Some Lawmakers Hope CT Will Consider Legalizing Marijuana
Author: RJ Scofield
Contact: Waterford Patch
Photo Credit: Shutterstock
Website: Waterford Patch
