Cannabis was decriminalized in 2011 in Connecticut on a bill which I sought sponsorship for. SB1014 passed the Assembly, and was approved by the Lieutenant Governor in a Senate tie-breaking vote. This was the first Decrim-by-Legislature since Alaska, in the 1970s. It was a historic, albeit shitty bill.
In regards to the cannabis decriminalization bills before the Judiciary Committee.
Free the Leaf – Global Cannabis Movement SUPPORTS this legislative action and urges you to consider these points in your decision making:
Bills of this nature have passed through committee before.
This bill, as part of the Governor’s budget, is not doomed to veto.
This bill has immediate cost savings to the state.
This bill (narrowly) realizes that cannabis users are NOT criminals.
You have been given the testimony of the concurrent Medicinal Cannabis bills, and must recognize that what was recently approved, benefits very few. Much of the self-disclosure of use for particular treatments given in testimony has not been addressed. These individuals need–and will continue to use–this therapeutic plant for any number of ailments (as an alternative to medications laden with unwanted side effects).
Twice, by bad luck, in the State of Connecticut, these individuals are felons.
That goes, as well, for the recreational user:
Who for choosing a substance that is SAFE (*not “safer”)–as opposed to alcohol and other dangerous legal substances–is subject to the humility, probation, and/or jail time deserved of ACTUAL CRIMINALS.
Negative considerations around this issue suggest a cognitive bias founded on hearsay, inaccurate media portrayal, and outright lies. The truth is that this plant is BENIGN, but the criminal penalty associated with it is not.
It’s the LAW that has ruined lives.
Albert Einstein once said “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”
We suggest that has been the case…
Thank you for your time and patience,
Courteously:
the Free the Leaf Community, and founder, Daniel Malo
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