HARTFORD -The expansion of the state's medical marijuana law to include patients under age 18, is effective on October 1. The law was also revised to allow use by hospice patients, and to authorize in-state research on medical marijuana. Al and Jenn's guest is Jonathan Harris, Commissioner of Consumer Protection.
Sen. Toni Boucher, a Wilton Republican and chief opponent of the legislation, nearly sent it off course with 25 possible amendments, however they were all ultimately shot down. Boucher voiced concerns about children using "mind-damaging substances," saying the harm could be worse than their underlying conditions.
Proponents, on the other hand, said they heard from many anguished parents about their children's suffering from conditions such as extreme seizures being eased by the drug.
Governor Dannel P. Malloy was among the earliest supporters of expanding medical marijuana statutes to include access for children with critical ailments.
