The six medical marijuana dispensaries in the state have started selling items to patients who hold medical marijuana licenses from the state.  There are more than 2,300 patients registered with the state as having one of 11 debilitating conditions. 

Among the patients is Dan Gaita of Bethel.  He suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder and says this is helping him treat his symptoms without feeling like a criminal.  Gaita was in the Marines and served in Somalia, Bosnia and Haiti.  He says the VA for over a decade has had him on a cocktail of pain and nerve medications, but medical marijuana has helped him cut down some doses and get completely off others.

Gaita says through a dispensary, the strains are more pure and consistent because the sales are overseen by a pharmacist and doctor.

Other debilitating medical conditions that can be treated with medical marijuana in Connecticut are Parkinson's Disease, MS, epilepsy, glaucoma, nerve damage, cancer, AIDS and Crohn's disease.