Robert Celt
New Member
Several lawmakers say they would support legislation allowing children to participate in the state’s medical marijuana program, a measure that could be reintroduced this year.
The state made medical marijuana legal in 2012. To qualify, a patient must be 18 or older.
Last year, the state Department of Consumer Protection proposed a bill allowing doctors to prescribe marijuana to patients younger than 18.
While the bill passed through the General Assembly’s Judiciary Committee with bipartisan support, it never went any further.
The legislature did expand the conditions covered by medical marijuana, said state Rep. Mary Fritz, D-Wallingford, a member of the Judiciary Committee. Marijuana can be prescribed to treat 11 conditions, according to state law.
Medical marijuana is once again on the DCP’s legislative agenda. Agency officials are putting the “final touches” on proposed legislation, DCP spokeswoman Lora Rae Anderson said.
“There are certainly discussions about the availably for patients under 18,” she said.
Marijuana has been found to have anti-convulsive properties. Last year, the legislature heard testimony from parents of children suffering from epilepsy.
They spoke of how children in states that allow medical marijuana have seen reductions in the seriousness and frequency of their seizures.
Oil derived from marijuana is said to deliver the medical benefits of the drug without the psychoactive high.
Fritz said she would support legislation expanding the use of marijuana to children, as long as an adult or medical professional is the one administering it.
It’s difficult not to support something that could help children suffering from seizures, whose “lives are being broken apart,” Fritz said. But “it has to be a supervised thing so that it’s not just being used as a form of getting high.”
State Rep. Vin Candelora, R-North Branford, said he would support further research into medical marijuana, something that was proposed as part of last year’s bill.
There have been several success stories, scientific and anecdotal, on the use of marijuana to treat epilepsy, said Candelora, also a member of the Judiciary Committee. To date, there is “enough evidence” to suggest that medical marijuana could benefit children with certain conditions, he said.
State Rep. Joe Markley, R-Southington, said the state needs to move slowly.
“We’ve moved pretty quickly by starting a medical marijuana program and decriminalizing,” said Markley, a member of the legislature’s Public Health Committee. “I’d be very cautious about trying to do so much at once.”
State Rep. David Zoni, D-Southington, said he “could probably support” medical marijuana for children suffering from certain conditions.
Zoni noted that he would not support a bill filed by his colleague, state Rep. Juan Candelaria, D-New Haven, which would legalize the recreational use of marijuana. Candelaria filed a similar bill last year, but it was never taken up by a committee. The bill seeks to raise revenue for the state by taxing the sale of marijuana.
To move forward, the bill would need to be raised by a committee.
In a shortened session focused on the budget, this is unlikely to happen, Zoni said.
“I don’t know that the risk to public health is worth the taxation we would derive,” he added.
In 2015, Colorado raised more than $135 million in revenue from the sale of nearly $1 billion in legal marijuana.
Fritz also was opposed to the bill filed by her Democratic colleagues in the House.
“No way, we’re not Colorado,” she said. “Look at all the people who are dying from heroin in our state. At the same time, we all know marijuana is a gateway drug. Money isn’t everything. We can’t encourage this.”
Candelora, who is opposed to legalization, said the revenue component of marijuana doesn’t matter to him.
“We shouldn’t be looking at dollars, we should be focusing on policy first,” he said.
News Moderator: Robert Celt 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: CT: Some Area Lawmakers Support Medical Marijuana For Children
Author: Andrew Ragali
Contact: The Plainville Citizen
Photo Credit: None found
Website: The Plainville Citizen
The state made medical marijuana legal in 2012. To qualify, a patient must be 18 or older.
Last year, the state Department of Consumer Protection proposed a bill allowing doctors to prescribe marijuana to patients younger than 18.
While the bill passed through the General Assembly’s Judiciary Committee with bipartisan support, it never went any further.
The legislature did expand the conditions covered by medical marijuana, said state Rep. Mary Fritz, D-Wallingford, a member of the Judiciary Committee. Marijuana can be prescribed to treat 11 conditions, according to state law.
Medical marijuana is once again on the DCP’s legislative agenda. Agency officials are putting the “final touches” on proposed legislation, DCP spokeswoman Lora Rae Anderson said.
“There are certainly discussions about the availably for patients under 18,” she said.
Marijuana has been found to have anti-convulsive properties. Last year, the legislature heard testimony from parents of children suffering from epilepsy.
They spoke of how children in states that allow medical marijuana have seen reductions in the seriousness and frequency of their seizures.
Oil derived from marijuana is said to deliver the medical benefits of the drug without the psychoactive high.
Fritz said she would support legislation expanding the use of marijuana to children, as long as an adult or medical professional is the one administering it.
It’s difficult not to support something that could help children suffering from seizures, whose “lives are being broken apart,” Fritz said. But “it has to be a supervised thing so that it’s not just being used as a form of getting high.”
State Rep. Vin Candelora, R-North Branford, said he would support further research into medical marijuana, something that was proposed as part of last year’s bill.
There have been several success stories, scientific and anecdotal, on the use of marijuana to treat epilepsy, said Candelora, also a member of the Judiciary Committee. To date, there is “enough evidence” to suggest that medical marijuana could benefit children with certain conditions, he said.
State Rep. Joe Markley, R-Southington, said the state needs to move slowly.
“We’ve moved pretty quickly by starting a medical marijuana program and decriminalizing,” said Markley, a member of the legislature’s Public Health Committee. “I’d be very cautious about trying to do so much at once.”
State Rep. David Zoni, D-Southington, said he “could probably support” medical marijuana for children suffering from certain conditions.
Zoni noted that he would not support a bill filed by his colleague, state Rep. Juan Candelaria, D-New Haven, which would legalize the recreational use of marijuana. Candelaria filed a similar bill last year, but it was never taken up by a committee. The bill seeks to raise revenue for the state by taxing the sale of marijuana.
To move forward, the bill would need to be raised by a committee.
In a shortened session focused on the budget, this is unlikely to happen, Zoni said.
“I don’t know that the risk to public health is worth the taxation we would derive,” he added.
In 2015, Colorado raised more than $135 million in revenue from the sale of nearly $1 billion in legal marijuana.
Fritz also was opposed to the bill filed by her Democratic colleagues in the House.
“No way, we’re not Colorado,” she said. “Look at all the people who are dying from heroin in our state. At the same time, we all know marijuana is a gateway drug. Money isn’t everything. We can’t encourage this.”
Candelora, who is opposed to legalization, said the revenue component of marijuana doesn’t matter to him.
“We shouldn’t be looking at dollars, we should be focusing on policy first,” he said.
News Moderator: Robert Celt 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: CT: Some Area Lawmakers Support Medical Marijuana For Children
Author: Andrew Ragali
Contact: The Plainville Citizen
Photo Credit: None found
Website: The Plainville Citizen
