MEDICAL MARIJUANA MEASURE FALLS WITH CONNECTICUT GOVERNOR'S VETO

Stamford, Conn. -- After struggling with what was described as one of
the most difficult decisions in her three-year tenure, Gov. M. Jodi
Rell vetoed a measure today that would have legalized the use of
marijuana for certain medical conditions.

In a statement, Mrs. Rell, a breast cancer survivor, said, "I
completely sympathize with the well-intentioned goal of alleviating
pain and suffering, but legal alternatives are available."

Supporters of the measure were quick to express their disappointment.
Gabriel Sayegh, a project director with Drug Policy Alliance, an
advocacy group, called the governor's veto "unconscionable."

"It guarantees the continued criminalization of people who are trying
to relieve pain and suffering," Mr. Sayegh said.

The law would have allowed residents 18 or older suffering from
multiple sclerosis, cancer, AIDS and other diseases to grow marijuana
in their homes with a doctor's recommendation and a state permit.

In the past five years, the legislature has considered several bills
that allowed the use of marijuana for medical purposes, but until now
none had passed. Connecticut approved a measure in 1981 allowing
doctors to prescribe the drug, but no pharmacies stocked it because
it is still a federal crime to buy, sell or possess marijuana.

Connecticut was not the only state wrestling with the question of
legalizing marijuana this spring. In New York, the
Democratic-controlled State Assembly passed a bill last week that
would allow eligible patients to legally acquire and use marijuana or
grow up to a dozen plants at a time. Gov. Eliot Spitzer, who in the
past had opposed the idea, said last week he would sign such a bill
"if properly structured," but it stalled in the Senate after the
majority leader said he could not support the Assembly bill.

A dozen states have legalized the use of marijuana to ease the pain
of a number of illnesses. In Maryland, patients are protected from
going to jail for using marijuana, although they can still be arrested.

In earlier statements, Mrs. Rell said she would have been more
comfortable with a bill that confined the use of marijuana to
terminally ill patients. But such a compromise would not necessarily
address her concern over patients and caregivers possessing marijuana
in violation of federal law.

"There are no pharmacies, storefronts or mail order catalogs where
patients or caregivers can legally purchase marijuana plants or
seeds," the governor wrote in her veto message. "I am troubled by the
fact that, in essence, this bill forces law abiding citizens to seek
out drug dealers to make their marijuana purchases."

She also expressed concern that such a law would send the wrong
message to Connecticut's youth.

Penny Bacchiochi, a Republican state representative from Somers who
said she bought marijuana for her late husband as he battled bone
cancer in the 1980s, said she met with the governor shortly after the
bill was approved by the legislature.

Ms. Bacchiochi said the governor "struggled deeply" with the
decision, adding, "She completely understood the compassionate side
of the bill, but couldn't get over the fact that it was illegal on
the federal level."

She said she planned to try to work with Mrs. Rell in the next
legislative session to reach a compromise.

But State Senator Andrew J. McDonald, a Democrat from Stamford who is
the deputy majority leader, said after the veto was announced that
the governor never raised her concerns as the bill was being drafted,
when modifications could have been made.

"In many ways, a gubernatorial veto represents a failure of
leadership by the governor rather than an exercise of leadership,"
Mr. McDonald said.

Citing a 2004 survey by the University of Connecticut that found
broad public support for the use of marijuana for medical purposes,
he said, "The governor clearly stands apart from the vast majority of
her citizens in opposing this legislation."