Malloy signs medical marijuana legislation

Gov. Dannel P. Malloy has put his signature on a bill that legalizes and regulates medical marijuana in Connecticut.

The law requires that patients get a prescription from a doctor and that they register with the state’s Department of Consumer Protection.  Patients would be allowed to possess a one-month supply and could buy it from state-sanctioned dispensaries.

The law limits the number of dispensaries statewide to 10. Dispensaries and growers of the medical marijuana would have to be licensed by the state.

Malloy, a Democrat, said in a statement that Connecticut’s law is better than laws of other states where medical marijuana is legal because it put limits on how much patients can have and where they can get it.

“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,” he 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.”

A state-appointed panel of physicians will recommend which ailments should make a person eligible to receive a marijuana prescription.

Most parts of the bill will take effect Oct. 1. Provisions requiring marijuana dispensaries and producers to get licenses from the state take effect immediately.

The Senate gave the measure final legislative approval after a 10-hour debate last month. During the debate, opponents such as Sen. Toni Boucher, R-Wilton, argued that marijuana is highly addictive and that legalizing it in any form puts the state in conflict with federal drug laws.

The measure (HB5839-PDF) passed the Senate in early-morning vote of 21-13 on May 5.