Marijuana Sanity in Connecticut.

By CHRISTOPHER KEATING |The Hartford Courant

April 1, 2009

On a groundbreaking vote, the [Connecticut] legislature's judiciary committee decided Tuesday night to decriminalize marijuana possession for adults 18 and older who have less than half an ounce of the drug. Under a compromise, the marijuana laws would not change for anyone under 18, and the amount that would be decriminalized was reduced from less than 1 ounce to less than half an ounce. The possession of small amounts would no longer be a crime and would instead be an infraction with a maximum fine of $250 that could be paid like a speeding ticket.

The bill would cut costs for police, courts, public defenders and prosecutors, he said. The legislature's Office of Fiscal Analysis said the 9,928 marijuana arrests in Connecticut in 2007 represented 7 percent of total arrests statewide, and estimated 3,300 of those involved less than 1 ounce.

TPJ: I'd still like to see an eventual legalization but decriminalization is the next best, realistic action.

Some Democratic legislators, including Senate Majority Leader Martin Looney of New Haven, have been pushing hard this year for decriminalization, saying that doing so could save the state more than $11 million in law enforcement costs annually because far fewer people would be sent to state Superior Court to be overseen by prosecutors and probation officials. If marijuana users were issued a ticket that could be paid by mail, they would no longer need to go to court.

TPJ: Plus the state would gain extra revenue from the tickets. However, the clueless and heartless Governor has already vetoed a bill making medicinal marijuana legal. Then in regards to this bill he uses some interesting "logic" to oppose this bill:

"Whether it's little or a lot, it is an illegal substance, and the governor does not support the bill," Rell's spokesman, Christopher Cooper, said Tuesday night after the vote.

TPJ: Yeah, it is an illegal substance right now and the bill doesn't legalize marijuana but simply reduces it to a minor offense. So how exactly is that not in keeping with maintaining its status as an illegal substance? I think a lot of people who oppose marijuana legalization, decriminalization and its use for medical purposes have never even tried the drug. It seems like too that many don't even look into the evidence but just go with the knee-jerk reaction of sticking with the past because it's "How we've always done things."

Or because they afraid that supporting decriminalization and such would negatively effect their political career despite a large portion of the population calling for changes in our laws toward pot. It is irritating that politicians have inaccurately demonized marijuana and used it as a convenient scapegoat when they want to appear "tough on crime." Well idiots their wouldn't BE any marijuana related crime if it was legal or at least it would be drastically, drastically reduced--not to mention the savings to the tax payer. Republicans and Conservatives should be for decriminalization or legalization for no other reason than the money factor as they seem to love money so much.

Plus I find it confusing as to why Republicans and conservatives (who are supposedly for protecting the rights of the individual to live their life how they wish) can oppose either medicinal marijuana laws, decriminalization or legalization? Do these people remember the prohibition of alcohol in the early days of the 20th century and how much unnecessary crime it created? Alcohol is a drug too and in many, many ways much worse for a person and society in general than marijuana. If you honestly look into the marijuana debate then you will see how draconian, antiquated and unrealistic our stance against pot really is.

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