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Larissa Doucette
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A bill (HB 5389) legalizing the use of medical marijuana by certain patients in Connecticut under strict requirements passed in the Connecticut Legislature on May 4, 2012. Under the act, doctors will need to certify patients’ medical need for the drug before it will be dispensed, and patients and their caregivers must register with the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection, reports The New York Times. Patients with debilitating medical conditions such as cancer, glaucoma, HIV, and multiple sclerosis, among other disease states, may qualify for treatment with medical marijuana. Also, the law will only allow patients to obtain medical marijuana from licensed dispensaries, which under the law means a pharmacist “who the Department of Consumer Protection determines to be qualified to acquire, possess, distribute and dispense marijuana” and “who is licensed as a dispensary.” Dispensaries will be required to obtain the drug from licensed producers. Connecticut Governor Dannel Malloy is expected to sign the bill, and stated “We don’t want Connecticut to follow the path pursued by some other states, which essentially would legalize marijuana for anyone willing to find the right doctor and get the right prescription. In my opinion, such efforts run counter to federal law. Under this proposal, however, the Department of Consumer Protection will be able to carefully regulate and monitor the medicinal use of this drug in order to avoid the problems encountered in some other states.”