Legalize Marijuana In CT? Here's What Patch Readers Had To Say

CONNECTICUT — Patch readers who took our survey of opinions on the proposed legalization of marijuana overwhelmingly favored the idea.

Nearly 70 percent of the 6,168 participating readers voted "yes" to the proposition, "Should marijuana be legal for adult recreational use in Connecticut?"

"Senate Bill 888: An Act Responsibly and Equitably Regulating Adult-Use Cannabis," championed by Gov. Ned Lamont, is currently working its way through Hartford. It would allow adults 21 and older to purchase cannabis products legally, from licensed stores, beginning in May 2022. Critics say the bill doesn't do enough to expunge previous marijuana-related arrest records, or achieve certain social equity benchmarks in the licensing. Its passage in this session of the legislature is by no means assured.

Try telling that to Patch readers.

"Get with the times! Use the tax dollars to benefit the state. CT is already late to the game!" one reader admonished.

The prevailing sentiment among over 90 percent of comments from the "yes" crowd was that marijuana use is inevitable and the state would be wise to profit from it, rather than lose revenue to neighboring states. Weed is legal in Massachusetts, New Jersey and most recently, New York.

"The cat has been out of the bag for a long time. Might as well tax it. Ct needs the money and prohibition obviously does not work. People are just traveling to neighboring states to purchase it anyway."

"It isn't as dangerous as drug warriors have claimed. It's a very popular alternative to alcohol and it's fun and relaxing. And of course Connecticut can benefit from the money going to other states that came to their senses."

"It’s an absolute must. We currently drive to Mass to get ours. A waste of state funds by not doing it."

Hopefully they waited to get home before lighting up. Even some of the "yes" voters admitted they drew the line at puffing and driving: "Many states have legalized marijuana for recreational use. Why not CT? My only hesitancy involves Marijuana and driving. There ought to be a test that identifies intoxicated drivers."

...except that there isn't, a point driven home often in many of the "no" responses. For them, the additional revenue promised by the legalization wouldn't be worth the message sent "to young people that smoking marijuana is okay..."

"The state should start thinking about children's health, not collecting additional tax. That is the criminal act in itself!"

Some cited marijuana's popularity as a mix-in with brownies and candy especially "confusing" or "troubling" for kids.

Quite a few of the "no" votes bolstered their arguments with tragedy-laced personal anecdotes:

"My father died from drug addiction. He always told me that if he knew how smoking pot would turn into a lifetime of addiction he would’ve never smoked that first joint. It led to a life full of pain for him & all that knew him."

"I had two family members killed, my sister and brother in law, in NY, almost 6 years ago by a driver that was high and he confessed to smoking pot up to 2 hours before and had pot in his possession when the police got to the scene of the accident."

Many more of the "no" voters expressed concern that once pot was legalized, other drugs would follow. At least one "yes" voter agreed, but didn't think that was a bad thing: "There is increasing evidence that certain psychedelic drugs are going to be used for treatment of psychological disorders very soon as well. The Dark Ages are yesterday."

"All drugs should be legal. The state has no business telling anyone what they may eat, drink, smoke, put up their nose or inject into their veins," one "yes" voter responded, a libertarian sentiment expressed by many we surveyed who were in favor of pot's legalization.

Then, of course, there's that stench. Many of the "no" voters didn't seem to care who was smoking what, so long as they didn't have to smell it. "...our city will reek," according to one reader.

Another shared some olfactory memories of a visit to Denver, where marijuana has been legal since 2012: "The city stinks like a skunk and it is everywhere. I may support it if it were legal but not in public or streets, or perhaps just private events."

Readers who identified themselves as real estate professionals were uniformly against the state legalizing marijuana, calling it bad for business. "Good luck with selling or renting a property that smells like weed," one warned.

An apartment manager weighed in: "I deal with complaints all the time regarding pot smoking in the building. It ruins the walls, ceilings and carpeting."

For the many proponents of the bill in Hartford, the answer is simple: just hold your nose. Cannabis industry website Marijuana Moment estimates the Connecticut market could rake in more than $33 million in revenue in fiscal 2023, and grow that stash to $97 million by 2026.

Was there any end-of-days, knee-jerk, puritanism among the "no" voters? Sure, plenty:

"I don't want CT to become like portland oregon or san Francisco california like it was in the early 1970s years to become hippie dope charles manson family cult acid trip murderers and cult acid drugs that ruin our society."

"You're giving your kids Permission to Disrespect you, that's what's going to happen, the smell of marijuana all over CT, the crime will rise !!! Lots of gang violence, Zombie Apocalypse!"

"The fall of our Nation! We will become all losers"

"It will bring destruction to humanity, period."

"There's enough 'recreation' as there is."

...but a number of mental health and law enforcement professionals also sounded off, against the legalization of pot:

"I was a career prosecutor in both the State and Federal system and marijuana use frequently leads to more lethal drug abuse. Also, it is very difficult to regulate people who drive under the influence of marijuana even though it is as deadly as drunk driving."

"As a mental health professional I have seen how this so-called harmless drug has devastated lives, and often opens the door to other drug use"

As a Registered Nurse and a Health Teacher in a public high school here in CT, I can tell you that teens have a false sense of safety when it comes to marijuana use, in part because of the legalization and decriminalization of marijuana. Marijuana is a psychoactive drug that causes damage to the hippocampus and memory centers of the brain, not to mention changes to mentation and personality. It is a cardiac stimulant and increases blood pressure and heart rate by 50%. Marijuana affects reproductive ability and damages a person's immune system..."

"As a psychiatrist, I see first hand how devastating marijuana can be. It does not take more than one use for anxiety and psychotic disorders to start. Demotivational syndromes due to cannabis are virtually impossible to treat."

For at least one "yes" voter, the psychiatrists are part of the problem:

"I'm a parent of teenagers. I'm a non-drinker. I'm a homeopath. I raise holistic farm animals. Marijuana is an HERB with wonderful medicinal qualities which can replace the toxic, chemical psychopharmaceuticals which are prescribed all too often in this country."

The history of marijuana laws unfairly penalizing people of color was a frequent touchstone among the "no's," many of whom saw pot's legalization in the state as a step towards setting things right: "It was only ever made illegal for racist reasons to help the rich get richer," one reader said. "Right the wrong."

"Science and widespread experience have shown marijuana is not addictive and is far less harmful than alcohol. - Yet, more than 600,000 innocent Americans are arrested for simple marijuana possession each year and made second-class citizens - for life! They will forever face large obstacles to decent employment, education, travel, housing, government benefits, and will always go into court with one strike against them. They can even have their children taken away!"

The bill has been tweaked a few times on its journey through the state house, with lawmakers on both sides penciling in more money for addiction treatment. Some who are opposed to it say that should be enough of a red flag: "Understand the need for revenue but when you have to set aside money for treatment it's clearly a bad idea."

The majority of pro-legalization commenters didn't feel the need to enter into lengthy explanations of their position, believing their rationale should be "obvious." As one Patch reader said, "If alcohol, a known killer, is legal, then so should marijuana be legalized," especially, as another pointed out, "Keeping it illegal doesn't do a single thing to stop people using it."

After all: "It’s a plant, bro."