MEDICAL MARIJUANA BILL WINS FINAL APPROVAL IN LEGISLATURE

HARTFORD, Conn. -- A measure legalizing medicinal marijuana won final
legislative approval in the state Senate Friday night, capping a
five-year struggle that pitted broader patients' rights against
concerns of easier access to an illicit drug.

The bill, which was approved 23-13, now heads to Gov. M. Jodi Rell,
who has said she has mixed feelings about the measure. A spokesman
said Friday she has not yet made a decision.

The state House of Representatives approved the measure on May
23.

Sen. Andrew McDonald, co-chairman of the General Assembly's Judiciary
Committee, steered the bill to Senate approval. The measure has taken
a "long odyssey through almost every committee of the legislature,"
McDonald, D-Stamford, told colleagues.

The legislation would allow residents older than 18 with specific
debilitating medical conditions diagnosed by a physician to cultivate
and use marijuana to relieve symptoms. Patients with written
certification from their physicians would have to register with the
Department of Consumer Protection.

The patient and the primary caregiver would be limited to growing no
more than four plants, each having a maximum height of four feet, in
an indoor, secure facility.

Supporters say the measure would protect people who try to obtain
marijuana to help stem the effects of diseases such as cancer and
multiple sclerosis.

"Is there anything we would begrudge our brothers and sisters as they
face those terrible diseases?" asked Sen. John McKinney, R-Fairfield.
"What would I do for someone I love if they were facing the harrowing
future of a debilitating disease and it really was up in the air if
they'd survive or not?"

Opponents said the legislation undermines anti-drug efforts,
particularly in reaching youngsters.

"We'll be sending a mixed message to young people about whether
marijuana is good or bad," said Sen. Sam Caligiuri, R-Waterbury.
"We're going to undercut our ability to keep children away from this
gateway drug."

Sen. William Nickerson, R-Greenwich, told his colleagues that
politicians are not experts on whether medical marijuana is safe and
effective.

"This politically oriented body should not be the location where this
decision is made," he said.

Rell said in March that she has "mixed emotions," citing concerns
about the cultivation of marijuana plants, but sympathizing with
people in pain.