Marijuana Policy Project

On Tuesday, June 19, Gov. M. Jodi Rell (R) vetoed HB 6715, the medical marijuana bill. Gov. Rell's veto shows her incredible lack of compassion for sick and dying patients.

Unfortunately, the support from more than 60% of Connecticut's legislators is not enough to override Gov. Rell's veto — it takes two-thirds of each chamber to override the veto. At this point, it is unlikely that a veto-override vote will even occur. This means that we have to make it clear to Gov. Rell that her veto will have negative political effects.

Please take a moment to write a letter to the editor of your local paper. We have provided you with some talking points to get you started, but please do not simply copy all of them. Newspapers generally do not print form letters. If you would like some help with your letter, you can contact me by e-mailing Zane@mpp.org.

Then, call or e-mail Gov. Rell and let her know how disappointed you are that she decided to continue the cruel practice of arresting seriously ill patients. You can contact Gov. Rell's office by e-mailing Governor.Rell@po.state.ct.us or calling (800) 406-1527. Although Gov. Rell has shown that she's not compassionate, please be polite and professional when speaking to the governor or her staff.

After you send Gov. Rell a letter, please take a moment to follow up with a phone call to her office. It will only take a couple minutes, but it could make all the difference for Connecticut's sick and dying patients. You can reach her office by calling (800) 406-1527. Please urge her to do the compassionate thing and pledge to protect patients from arrest. Remember to be polite and professional when speaking to the governor or her staff.

Gov. Rell's reasoning for continuing Connecticut's cruel practice of arresting seriously ill patients was convoluted. One of the reasons she stated for her veto was that "the bill also requires that patients or primary caregivers engage in illegal activity to use marijuana." While she's correct that marijuana use would remain a crime under federal law, 99% of all marijuana arrests occur by state and local police, meaning that passing this law would have effectively eliminated the threat of arrest for these patients trying to relieve their suffering.

Also in her veto statement, Gov. Rell concluded: "I am also concerned that this bill would send the wrong message to our youth." This is remarkable because an MPP analysis of government data shows that state medical marijuana laws do not increase teen use of marijuana. In fact, teen use of marijuana has generally declined in medical marijuana states -- in some cases dramatically. Overall teen marijuana use in these states has decreased at greater rates than the national average.

A Better Way Foundation and the Drug Policy Alliance led the effort to enact this sensible bill this year, and they were able to move the bill further than before. For the first time ever, an effective medical marijuana bill passed both chambers in the same session. MPP would like to thank them for their tireless work to help protect Connecticut's medical marijuana patients.

To stay updated on the status of marijuana policy reform in Connecticut, be sure to subscribe to MPP's free legislative alert service, if you haven't done so already.