Tag Archives: Connecticut
Connecticut Officials Hear Testimony on Medical Marijuana Regulations
Officials from Connecticut’s Department of Consumer Protection (DCP), which has been charged with organizing the state’s medical marijuana program, heard compelling public testimony Monday morning as the department prepares to establish rules regarding dispensary operations.
Gov. Dannel P. Malloy signed a medical marijuana bill into law last May, and the state began accepting applications for medical marijuana licenses in October. Unfortunately, there are no dispensaries currently operating in the state, and it is illegal for patients to grow plants for personal use.
Tracey Gamer Fanning
This loophole has left patients like Tracey Gamer Fanning in an unnerving legal gray-zone. Tracey was diagnosed with brain cancer in 2006. The myriad medication she was prescribed left her bedridden and unable to function. This all changed when her doctor recommend she try marijuana. “It gave me my life back,” she told CBS.
Despite the impact it’s had on Tracey’s cancer, every time she uses the drug she is breaking the law. Dedicating her limited time to medical-marijuana advocacy, Tracey lined up to speak at Monday’s hearing.
I want the politicians to see my face, the face of a mother from West Hartford who is just grateful to be at the dinner table in the evening instead of in bed, of someone who is so thankful to be part of her children’s lives, of someone who lost an advertising career but gained a life mission.
The DCP has composed a 70-page draft of regulations that mimics the state system that controls the distribution of such pharmaceuticals as OxyContin.
MPP’s Director of State Policies, Karen O’Keefe, expressed concerns over the expense of the system of production and distribution. “The provision that requires $ 2 million in an escrow for producers, that’s a huge sum of money,” Karen stated. “It could edge out the little guy.” MPP has submitted suggested changes to the state regulations.
The DCP will accept written comments until Friday.
Sandy uproots Connecticut tree, 200-year-old human remains uncovered
(Reuters) – A Connecticut town got an unexpected history lesson after fierce winds from monster storm Sandy toppled a 103-year-old oak tree and exposed skeletal remains below it, officials said on Wednesday.
The remains likely belonged to a victim of yellow fever or smallpox who might have been buried on the New Haven town green between 1799 and 1821, police spokesman David Hartman said.
Headstones for those buried below the green were moved to a local cemetery in 1821, but the bodies of potentially thousands of residents were never relocated, he said.
This week’s storm brought 40 to 70 mile per hour winds to New Haven, knocking out power, downing trees and causing some flooding to properties, Hartman said.
Sandy’s force overturned a well-known oak that was planted on the town green in 1909 in honor of the 100th anniversary of President Abraham Lincoln’s birth. A passerby looking at the fallen oak on Tuesday spotted human bones in its roots and alerted authorities, Hartman said.
News of the discovery drew a crowd to the green, where people offered historical information and wild theories about the origins of the skeleton, he said.
“It was a great deal of fun, with no disrespect intended to the dead of course,” Hartman said. “It was good Halloween stuff.”
A death investigator from the medical examiner’s office and a research associate from Yale University’s Department of Anthropology are collecting the remains. The city is discussing how to properly bury them after they are studied, Hartman said.
Given the likely history of the skeleton, no criminal investigation is planned, he said.
(Reporting by Colleen Jenkins; Editing by Cynthia Johnston and Cynthia Osterman)
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Connecticut man shoots burglar dead, turns out to be own son
(Reuters) – A Connecticut man responding to his sister’s call for help during an apparent burglary at her home next door, shot and killed a masked intruder who turned out to be his own teenage son, state police said on Friday.
Tyler Giuliano, 15, was wearing a ski mask and appeared to be armed when he was shot on Thursday by his father, who authorities declined to identify, said Lieutenant J. Paul Vance, a spokesman for the Connecticut State Police.
The father’s sister, who lives next door, was home alone before 1 a.m. when she called him to report someone trying to break into her home. The father went over to investigate and was approached by a masked person dressed entirely in black and holding a shiny object, police said in a statement.
“Believing the suspect was armed with a weapon and about to attack him, the (father) discharged his personal handgun at the suspect,” police said in the statement.
Giuliano was pronounced dead at the scene.
“(He) was lying on the ground in the driveway with obvious gunshot injuries, holding a weapon,” the statement said.
Vance declined to further describe the weapon.
Authorities seized the father’s gun, were investigating whether it is registered and will consult with the state’s attorney to determine if any charges will be filed, Vance said.
Police also were investigating why the teen, who has no criminal history, was outside his aunt’s home.
“We truly don’t know. We’ll look at the family dynamics, (his) school locker, cell phone, computer to figure out what’s going on,” Vance said.
(Reporting by Barbara Goldberg in New York; Editing by Paul Thomasch and Vicki Allen)
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Medical Marijuana Legalized in Connecticut
Connecticut on Friday became the 17th U.S. state to legalize the medical use of marijuana.
The state’s Governor Dannel Malloy signed into law legislation allowing licensed physicians to certify an adult patient’s use of marijuana for medical purposes, according to a statement from the governor’s office.
The new law puts in place restrictions to prevent the kind of abuse that has plagued some of the 16 other states and the District of Columbia where pot is legal for medical use.
“For years, we’ve heard from so many patients with chronic diseases who undergo treatments like chemotherapy or radiation and are denied the palliative benefits that medical marijuana would provide,” Governor Malloy said.
“With careful regulation and safeguards, this law will allow a doctor and a patient to decide what is in that patient’s best interest,” he said.
Under the bill, patients and their caregivers must register with the Department of Consumer Protection. In addition, a doctor must certify there is a medical need for marijuana to be dispensed, including such debilitating conditions as cancer, glaucoma, HIV, AIDS, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis or epilepsy.
Finally, only a pharmacist with a special license can dispense medical marijuana, according to the new law.
Editing by Barbara Goldberg and Andrew Hay
Source: Reuters (Wire)
Author: Mary Ellen Clark
Published: June 1, 2012
Copyright: 2012 Thomson Reuters
Cannabis News – Medical Marijuana, Hemp, Marijuana News, Cannabis
Gov. Malloy Signs Connecticut Medical Marijuana Bill!
Gov. Dannel Malloy has signed HB 5389, officially making Connecticut the 17th medical marijuana state!
The bulk of the bill will go into effect on October 1, 2012. After that, qualifying patients will be able to obtain temporary registrations to possess marijuana.
To qualify, a patient must have a doctor’s written certification and one of the following conditions: glaucoma, HIV/AIDS, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis, spinal cord damage causing spasms, epilepsy, cachexia, wasting syndrome, Crohn’s disease, PTSD, or a condition added by the Department of Consumer Protection.
HB 5389 provides for access through licensed dispensaries, which only pharmacists will be allowed to file applications for. Dispensaries may obtain marijuana from licensed producers, who will pay an application fee of at least $ 25,000.
Click here to read MPP’s summary of the new law.
This victory follows years of hard work from several organizations, seriously ill patients, legislators, and advocates. Congratulations to everyone who made it possible!
