Community Forum on Connecticut Possibly Legalizing Marijuana Scheduled in Guilford

By Jack Kramer, Correspondent

GUILFORD, CT – A community forum on the state of Connecticut’s potential legalization of recreational marijuana and the impact that would have on youth will be held at the Guilford Community Center on Wednesday, January 25th.

The meeting will be from 7 to 8:30 p.m.

Several state legislators, including Senator Majority Leader Martin Looney, from New Haven, have said they will be pushing for their colleagues to approve recreational marijuana in this year’s ongoing General Assembly session.

Those legislators say one of their motivations is the state badly needs the tax money legalizing recreational marijuana would bring in.

And they also point out that neighboring Massachusetts has legalized recreational marijuana beginning in 2018, stating they don’t want to see Connecticut residents spending tax dollars in a neighboring state instead of Connecticut.

Voters in the Bay State approved the initiative in last November’s election.

Speaking at the forum in Guilford will be Deepak Cyril D’Souza, a Guilford resident and physician. He is also a Yale Medical School professor with 25 years of experience researching the long-term effects of marijuana on the brain.

Also speaking will be state Senator Ted Kennedy, and state representatives Sean Scanlon and Vincent Candelora.

And also slated to speak are a representative of Guilford DAY (Development Asset Youth), who will give the student perspective on the risks of marijuana on youth.

A Quinnipiac University Poll conducted in March 2015 found 63 percent of voters support legalization.

Democratic Gov. Dannel P. Malloy, who successfully pushed for decriminalizing small amounts of marijuana in 2011 and legalizing the medical use of marijuana in 2012, hasn’t supported legalizing recreational use in the past – and says he isn’t for it now.