HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) The state Department of Consumer Protection has scheduled a hearing on proposed regulations for Connecticut's new medical marijuana program.
Members of the public can testify today at the State Office Building in Hartford, on the wide-ranging package of rules. Medical marijuana was approved by the General Assembly and signed into law last year.
The regulations touch on numerous aspects of the program such as the rights and responsibilities of medical marijuana dispensaries, security requirements for those dispensaries and rules for manufacturing marijuana products.
The Department of Consumer Protection is expected to submit the final regulations to the legislature by July 1.
Patients receiving medical treatment for an applicable debilitating medical condition included in the law may qualify for a temporary registration certificate to legally use medical marijuana.
Wilton State Senator Toni Boucher filibustered during most of the debate on the bill. She spoke for about five hours before introducing several amendments. Boucher and others introduced 48 in total, though none of them were approved.
During her remarks she said licensed dispensaries were little more than dope dealers with licenses and that marijuana isn't medicine. She quoted from studies that found marijuana use leading to health issues ranging from cancer and heart defects to depression and schizophrenia.
