Gomes To Host Public Forum On Recreational Marijuana

Will legalizing pot create a pot of money for Connecticut? State lawmakers are examining the legalization and regulation of marijuana to bolster a cash-strapped budget. State Senator Ed Gomes will host a forum on the pros and cons of recreational marijuana March 27, 6 to 8 p.m. in the Beacon Hall Event Center of Housatonic Community College.

The retail sale and cultivation of weed is under consideration to add millions of dollars to the state treasury. Governor Dan Malloy, for one, says the state should take a wait and see attitude and examine how it works in neighboring Massachusetts where retail shops will open in 2018.

Opponents argue the passage of marijuana should not be rooted in economics.

Under Connecticut law marijuana is decriminalized for small amounts and allowed for medicinal use. Seven U.S. states have legalized recreational marijuana.

Gomes says the forum will feature panelists on both sides of the issue including Erik Williams, a medical marijuana professional; Jason Ortiz, Policy Chair at Minority Cannabis Business Association; Dr. Deepa Camenga, Physician, American Academy of Pediatrics; and Louis Reed, a licensed alcohol and drug counselor.

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17 comments

  1. If you had told me 25 years ago that ganja would still be illegal in 2017 I would have laughed at you. I smoked for over 40 years and was a productive, working, taxpaying, law abiding (except for the evil weed) citizen. It’s long past time to legalize it!

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  2. Are we now going to release everyone who was arrested for the sale, cultivation and possession of illegal marijuana now that the state will be in the sale of marijuana?

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  3. Ed, these assholes out here are dumb enough and don’t need pot to make them dumber than they are. For everyone, no matter what this fucking state does, it’s still a federal crime.
    Ed, you have nothing better to do.

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  4. Hey Andy, what do you want?
    If he says nothing, then you accuse him of doing nothing.
    If he says he’s in favor of it, you will say it’s a Black thing. They all want to smoke grass and do nothing.
    If he has an educational forum, you say Ed you have nothing better to do.
    You just can’t win with some voters.

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    1. As someone who has known Ed for over 50 years, I feel I can ask the questions. Bob, do you think everything is going great in Bridgeport and in the State?

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  5. It’s not a state that will attract young professionals if it is not enlightened enough to legalize pot. Just not a cool place like Boston. Bye bye GE, follow the young talent, many of whom smoke pot!

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    1. Oh, so GE left Fairfield so its workers can legally smoke pot. You sir are really nuts here is my message to you and others like you: Fuck You.

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  6. Does anyone see the irony in this? It is illegal to sell or use Marijuana even for medical use under Federal law. There is no sanctuary marijuana statute for its protection. If the Federal government wanted to bust an open illegal operation they can, and the state government can’t do anything about it. Just like if ICE wanted to deport an undocumented immigrant. I stand by my prior assumption, sanctuary status was more about Joe and Bridgeport politics than about the undocumented workers.

    That being said. I’m pro weed, for a variety of reasons. Mainly I think it will reduce violent behavior if people chose to smoke a joint and get high than did shots and got drunk off of alcohol.

    Domestic violence would be reduce dramatically if aggressors were stoned rather than drunk. Alcohol has different effects than weed on people’s behavior especially in aggressiveness. Among other mental decisions when someone is under influence of alcohol. Alcohol almost always plays a role in domestic violence.

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      1. And you do? Ask anyone whose violent behavior was brought about because they were drunk. Keep scrolling, no one says you have to read it or smoke it. Since you’re a genuine asshole I hope you don’t drink alcohol because it would bring the super asshole out in you. I think you should smoke a joint or two to suppress the asshole in you that we have the luxury to read in your posts. Either way you’ll always be more of an asshole that a racist. Be proud of that.

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          1. I know you curse, dumb-ass. I’m cursed with Dumb-Ass. For some reason I can’t scroll past some asshole without replying back. BAM. 🙂

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