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Recently elected Democratic Governor Dan Malloy wants Connecticut to join its neighbor Massachusetts in making the penalty for minor marijuana possession a simple fine. From the Hartford Advocate:
Although his speech never actually used the words “decriminalization of marijuana,” Gov. Dannel Malloy is getting behind the concept as a way to help cut the number of people arrested and jailed for “minor, non-violent or drug offenses.”
The lovely part about his plan is linking it to the fearsome task of plugging gigantic holes in the state budget.
“This new policy will save us millions of dollars, which is a benefit of a more enlightened policy whose time I think has come,” Malloy said in presenting his budget plans to the General Assembly Wednesday.
When Malloy won in 2010, he switched control of the governorship from Republican to Democratic hands, giving Dems full control of the state government.
With Malloy’s party in control of the legislature, and the state looking for anyway to reduce their budget deficit, the prospects of the legislature approving his proposal to save money by reducing the penalty for minor marijuana possession to a simple infraction–which carries no criminal record and only a $100 fine–looks strong.
23 Comments
CT passed a full medical MJ bill a few years ago when it was approved by the state senate because the PEOPLE wanted it! The signed bill made it all the way to Gov. Jodi’s desk, only to have an ignorant Republican veto it because she couldn’t figure out how to get the seeds to sick people! Hmmm. Conservatives who don’t think they need science don’t bother taking basic biology I guess. Jodi, baby, seeds GROW on PLANTS that grow in SOIL. We call it NATURE. It’s been around for OVER 6,000 years. Pass the word!
Huge!
With Governor Dropout screaming “deficit,” in Wisconsin, it will be harder for his supporters to ignore this. Walker, himself, will have no problem.
Any prison implications? Meaning are there any now in prison in CT who will be released if this goes thru?
From the wilderness, a rare voice of reason. Absent the institutionalized oppostion to cannabis found in California, Connecticut may succeed in advancing the march of civilization.
While the measure is under consideration, they should all be released. If it is defeated, those released can be invited to return to prison.
finally a topic that I know something about…now we just need the feds to leave the states alone like Holder told ‘em too… that ain’t happening out here in Denver due to the crazy US Attorneys left over from the Bush-Cheney hunta. Since herb will *never* get re-scheduled in the fed’s controlled substances act, the best we can hope for is sanity from the states and silence from the feds during democratic administrations. when the yahoos take back the white house, it’ll be open season on hippies again…
How many jobs will it create? How much tax revenue will it generate? If the answer is squat (which it probably is), then what’s the point? The political elite are squashing labor and labor laws, and toss the odd bone back. Hey, you now work for half the wages, with no benefits at all, but you can smoke up for a small fine? This must be what all those protests are about in the MidEast. They just want to legalize their drug dependancies.
The hippies are getting ready to retire and I don’t think they are going to be happy or quiet. I hope they make a lot of noise.
What’s up with the holdover US Attorneys Since forever it has been the custom for incoming presidents to request the resignations of all US Attorneys, even for those appointed by presidents of the same party. What’s up with Obama holding on to Junior’s appointees, including those appointed during the Rove-instigated US Attorney scandal?
Making marijuana possession an infraction would reduce the population in prisons (reduce costs), and add the fine monies to the coffers. I’d rather see an additional reduction in police activity, by making it a policy to not pursue “hippies” to shake them down for the fine. So, increased revenue, reduced government costs. But, more people added to the job market, and no jobs created. Can’t have everything. I’ll take the little extra dose of sanity.
i agree – it’s weird that O didn’t clean house on the US-A’s, but he did alot of other strange things too after taking office. Those Rove appointed moles are ticking time bombs. now if he dismisses them mid-term, they’ll be even more noise and fury.
O is W’s third term.
Book Salon up with Danielle McGuire’s At the Dark End of the Street: Black Women, Rape, and Resistance–A New History of the Civil Rights Movement from Rosa Parks to the Rise of Black Power hosted by Steven Lawson
there’s no avoiding that depressing conclusion…we are totally screwed. still…there’s music as a distraction and I’m playing a jazz gig this evening, which should be nice. cheers
Of course. Forget what I asked at #9.
Hmmm, the earth — that part of nature of which we have intimate knowledge — is about 4.54 billion years old. That’s what scientists seem to believe. The creationists might claim the age of the earth as falling somewhere in the 5,000 to 10,000 year range. Oddly enough, the natural history of the creationists seems to coincide with the growing propensity of the species to turn cults into churches.
take notes Mr. Walker, Mr. Malloy is a real governor.
Well, good for Gov. Malloy. It is high (if I may use the word) time that some of these smokers, jokers, and midnight tokers, started to introduce sanity into our drug policies. (Jeez where you bin all this time? Are there anymore of you out there?)
In 1997, the Connecticut Law Revision Commission recommended that possession of an ounce or less of marijuana be downgraded to a civil infraction: http://www.cga.ct.gov/lrc/drugpolicy/drugpolicyrpt2.htm#SecD7
True, California didn’t legalize marijuana, but it has reduced possession of small amounts to a ticket, which I think is also around $100.
The problem is they can turn around and hike the penalties right back up again.
I remember when Ohio and I believe Oregon had decriminalized pot and gave out “tokin’ tickets” with fines under $100 back in the mid/late ’70s
However, with NO thanks to Gov. Malloy, his budget also eliminates state funding for the Connecticut AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP), which supplements federal funding (if the Republicans in Congress allow it) to cover the cost of antiretroviral drugs for HIV and prevents infections related to AIDS, for those without insurance or who are underinsured. His contention that such people can be covered with Medicaid is ludicrous, because of the exceptionally low-income Medicaid threshold. In addition, those on Medicare are not allowed to use pharmaceutical-company Patient Assistance Programs. Without ADAP, many cannot afford the drugs and–without being melodramatic–will die.
There are now over 6,000 patients nationwide on ADAP waiting lists in various states because of the economy and diminished state and federal contributions to the program. Hundreds of patients in Florida and Virginia who had been receiving medications through ADAP have been removed from the program and put on waiting lists, leading to viral resistance and mutations.
However, if Gov. Malloy’s non-funding proposal passes, Connecticut will be the first state to completely withdraw from the nation-wide ADAP program.
ooof. that sure takes the air out the decriminalize pot baloon. so much for this Malloy critter.