ITG

Marijuana Bill Debated
03/31/09 | The Connecticut Post | Ken Dixon

HARTFORD -- The Judiciary Committee on Tuesday night began debate on a bill that would decriminalize possession of small amounts of marijuana, ending criminal penalties and creating fines equal to a traffic ticket.

The discussion began at about 6 p.m., about five hours after the committee began deliberating a variety of bills as the panel heads toward its Friday 5 p.m. deadline.

Rep. Michael P. Lawlor, D-East Haven, co-chairman of the committee, offered an amendment that would reduce the threshold amount from one ounce, down to half an ounce.

In a rare appearance, House Minority Leader Lawrence F. Cafero Jr., R-Norwalk, who has spent 16 years as an expulsion officer for his hometown school district, implored the committee to reject the bill, proposed by Senate Majority Leader Martin M. Looney and Sen. Toni N. Harp, both D-New Haven.

Cafero, who as an ex officio committee member is allowed to speak but not vote, said that in the last five years marijuana has become more prevalent compared to pills, crack cocaine and Ecstasy.

Cafero estimated that he's heard 1,600 expulsion cases.

"And the vast majority of those cases deals with kids possessing marijuana and what I have seen over the years is a pattern and the effect of students using marijuana at a young age," Cafero said. "The effects of marijuana on our youth and the effects it has on our education system cannot be underestimated."

He warned lawmakers that decriminalizing it will make it more attractive to kids who would otherwise stay away from it.

"What is the message we as a Legislature will send to them when we decriminalize possession of marijuana?" Cafero said. He said that his experience is that few kids, once caught by police with marijuana, are caught again in schools.

"The vast majority of people, catch them once, have that negative experience with the law, they don't do it again," Cafero said.

If approved by the General Assembly and signed into law by Gov. M. Jodi Rell - who last year vetoed a bill that would legalize marijuana for medical uses - the fine would be about $120.

The bill was based on a successful statewide referendum last year in Massachusetts that decriminalized possession of pot up to an ounce in weight.

The Legislature's nonpartisan staff has projected that the bill could save about $11 million in diverting defendants from criminal court, while creating about $325,000 in revenue from fines.

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It matters not how strait the gate, How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate; I am the captain of my soul.

MestUp7

Or we could just legalize it and completely take it away from the youth.

Everlong2019

While I do think it should be legalized, how would that take it away from the youth?

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Negation

If it were sold in a manner similar to alcohol and tobacco, one would need ID and be of legal age to purchase it. It's currently much easier to obtain illegal drugs as a minor than it is to obtain beer and cigarettes, since drug dealers don't care who you are or how old you are; if you have money, they have drugs. Legalization keeps our kids away from the black market (which would likely die once legalized anyway) and would make it grossly illegal to sell to minors, something that I think everybody agrees on. Much like a liquor license, it should be a privilege hard to obtain and easy to lose.

Everlong2019

I disagree, I'm one of these "minors" you speak of, and once you enter highschool there are tons of kids who are over 18 (for all of your tobacco needs) and there are tons of college drop outs who are over 21 for your liqour needs. Like you said, you got the money they got the stuff. Not only that, but if marijuana WAS legal, people would just grow their own, these people would sell to other people and eventually it would get to kids anyway. Current drug dealers would take advantage of the legality (being over 21) and they would buy a ton and their would still be somebody somewhere selling to minors.

toothfairy420

Yep...it would still be illegal to them, so why would that make it more desirable?

octagon_red

I believe part of the reason kids want to smoke weed is because we told them not to do it.In Holland where kids have nearly open access to it they light up far less than here where it's forbiden.No one speaks of the forbiden fruit factor when it comes time to talk about weed,but were here to start it.Kids smoke pot because it's risky,or taboo and an extra rush is added to weed when it's illegal.Remember alcohol prohibition? Kids drank gallons more when it was illegal because it was forbiden,and unregulated----just like weed

DoobieBrother

How many 21 year olds do you think you know that would wanna risk buying pot for a teenager when they're 100% liable for doing so? They'd be pretty damn stupid, considering the penalties that would be put in place once it's regulated.

Like alcohol, you'll likely find that marijuana is confined to adult use only for the most part. No drug or herb is or probably ever will be completely inaccessible to teens. That's just the way it's always been, but at least regulation does a MUCH better job than war, as we've already learned with alcohol.

MestUp7

I think this debate can be solved easily like this:

It's people's jobs to sell me illegal drugs

It's someone doing me a favor if they buy me alcohol.

I could easily call up 4 people and get weed right now. It's very hard for me to get alcohol, other than taking it from my parents.

Negation

I never said it was impossible to obtain tobacco or liquor, just that it's reported that those substances (the legal ones) are more difficult to obtain than the illegal ones. Of course there's exceptions to the rule, there's always exceptions to the rule. My point was, in general, legalization would help keep drugs out of the hands of those who aren't of age. Are there people who would take advantage of it? Yes, there's people who take advantage of the legal drugs as it is. However, they're a very small minority; on the other hand, anybody who sells marijuana to kids (or anybody for that matter) is doing so illegally, and unlike the vast majority of those selling tobacco and liquor, most (not all) dealers of illegal drugs don't give a damn who you are or how old you are.