Last week New York tried to legalize medical marijuana after Governor Spitzer gave his approval to the State Assembly. Unfortunately, Senate Leader Joe Bruno killed the bill. Now in Connecticut both statehouses approved their own legislation, but their Republican Governor wielded her veto power on it.
From The New York Times:
Supporters of the measure were quick to express their disappointment. Gabriel Sayegh, a project director with Drug Policy Alliance, an advocacy group, called the governor’s veto “unconscionable.”
“It guarantees the continued criminalization of people who are trying to relieve pain and suffering,” Mr. Sayegh said.
The law would have allowed residents 18 or older suffering from multiple sclerosis, cancer, AIDS and other diseases to grow marijuana in their homes with a doctor’s recommendation and a state permit.
Governor Rell had expressed a few different reasons for her veto that reflect the national mood. First off I do not agree with her stating that this would send a bad message to Connecticut's youth. We are talking about the pain of sick people Ms. Rell, not about getting high for fun.
Now there are other reasons that have more merit, such as forcing people to seek out drug dealers for their marijuana. Those are problems that need to be fixed in the bill, as they were in California.
Lastly, her qualms over the difference between State and Federal law shows the changing opinion of marijuana's medicinal use. The Feds hate it because they don't regulate it and the pharmaceutical industry that has infiltrated Washington would have trouble profiting from it. From a revenue perspective, it is easier to sell their drugs created in the laboratory. However, when there is a change in the nation about a particular subject, the states tend to reflect the coming wave, often years before it has an effect on Washington. Governor Rell could have stood up for the people of Connecticut, but she chose to cower to Washington instead.
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