LAWMAKERS MAY DISCUSS DECRIMINALIZING MARIJUANA

Lawmakers could take up the contentious question of decriminalizing
marijuana this afternoon as the state legislature's powerful judiciary
committee heads toward a Friday deadline to act on legislation.

The judiciary committee had considered a possible vote on the proposal
Monday, but the matter was postponed because other bills were debated
longer than expected. The committee will meet again today at noon.

Some Democratic legislators have been pushing hard this year for the
decriminalization of less than an ounce of marijuana, pointing out
among other issues that doing so could save the state more than $11
million in law enforcement costs, according to a new legislative report.

But Gov. M. Jodi Rell indicated Monday that she opposes the
decriminalization of marijuana. Two of Rell's spokesmen stopped short
Monday of using the word "veto," but they both said that Rell opposes
the concept.

"The governor opposes illegal drug use and possession," said spokesman
Rich Harris. "Whether it's a little or a lot, marijuana is an illegal
drug."

Rell traditionally avoids stating her position on bills until they
reach her desk, and she rarely mentions a possible veto before the
first committee vote is taken.

Rell vetoed a bill that would have legalized the medical use of
marijuana in June 2007.Although she said that she, as a cancer
survivor, had sympathy for those who wanted to use marijuana for pain
management, she said that her sympathy could not overcome her concerns
that those seeking to obtain the drug would need to break the law to
purchase it.

This year's bill would reduce the penalty for possession of less than
1 ounce of marijuana from the current level of a misdemeanor to an
infraction with a maximum fine of $121. Currently, the violation is a
misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in jail and a $1,000 fine.

A proponent of the measure, state Sen. Martin Looney, D- New Haven,
said the bill "represents a compassionate and pragmatic policy. Our
state should not encourage illegal drug use; however, possession of
marijuana for personal use should not leave a person with a life-long
criminal record."

The bill would cut costs for police, courts, public defenders and
prosecutors, he said. The legislature's Office of Fiscal Analysis said
the 9,928 marijuana arrests in Connecticut in 2007 represented 7
percent of total arrests statewide, and estimated 3,300 of those
involved less than an ounce.