All posts in Connecticut News

Quinnipiac University’s anthropology department will offer students a three-credit course about cannabis next fall.  Anthropology professor Hillary Haldane, who will be teaching the course, said the class aims to help students understand their relationship to other species on this planet, “whether other animal or plant species, particularly given the climate catastrophe we face.” Amanda Riha Haldane said the course originated after students expressed interest in the topic through other anthropology courses.  “Rather than trying to cover every plant that can be used for medicinal or psychedelic purposes, I thought ‘why don’t I just focus on cannabis and use that as…

Oakland is considering whether to limit testing of current and prospective city employees for marijuana use, reflecting the push to normalize cannabis, which California voters made legal statewide for recreational use in 2016. If officials approve the measure, Oakland would be the first city in California to adopt the change, said Ellen Komp, the deputy director of California NORML, a nonprofit marijuana reform advocacy group that has been lobbying for similar changes at the state level. Vice Mayor Rebecca Kaplan introduced a draft ordinance Tuesday at a public safety committee meeting that would prohibit drug testing current and prospective city…

The fight to end the criminalization of psychedelics and give patients access to natural plants and fungi has achieved success in a growing number of cities and states in recent years, and on Thursday the cause got a boost from prominent people in the entertainment and political fields. Musician Melissa Etheridge and criminal justice reform activist Van Jones spoke at an event hosted by the nonprofit group End Well, which focused on how certain psychedelics can help ease in end-of-life anxiety and other mental health conditions. Both Etheridge and Jones spoke about the need to break with the status quo…

Nov 10, 2021, 12:36amUpdated 6d ago By: News 12 Staff Gov. Ned Lamont formally announced he is running for reelection in Connecticut’s 2022 gubernatorial race. Lamont filed the paperwork Monday with the State Elections Enforcement Commission, and the official document was entered into the state system. He told reporters, “I have to make up my mind formally in the months to come.” Less than 24 hours later, the governor made the formal announcement that he was running during a news conference in New Britain on diversifying the teacher workforce in Connecticut. Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz also filed her paperwork. Lamont…

WASHINGTON, Nov 8 (Reuters) – Legislation that would decriminalize marijuana and establish a tax on cannabis sales was being developed by Republican Representative Nancy Mace with the goal of introducing it in the U.S. House of Representatives later this month, according to media reports. Marijuana Moment reported that the bill attempts to mark a compromise measure that would not be as far-reaching as more comprehensive bills others in Congress have been seeking. Aides to Mace were not immediately available for comment and Reuters has not confirmed either the contents of a potential bill she might be working on or whether…

The federal government has generally taken a hands-off approach to marijuana enforcement in states that have chosen to legalize the plant. So why did a federal agency recently raid a small, home cannabis garden of a medical cannabis patient living on Indian territory in New Mexico? That’s a question that officials with the Pueblo of Picuris are asking following the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) raid in September. And the response from the agency, which falls under the Department of the Interior, has done little to clear things up. “Why is Picuris being discriminated against or picked on?” the governor…

NEW BRITAIN (AP) — Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont made it clear Tuesday he plans to seek a second term, a day after the Democrat said he had filed the necessary paperwork to begin the process of a possible reelection bid. “I love the job. I think we’re making a difference and I just didn’t want to get tied down in the politics of it for the next six months so I kept it a little ambiguous. But I guess there should be no ambiguity,” he told reporters when pressed to clarify his political plans. “I’m ready to go.” Lamont on Monday…

NEW FAIRFIELD — While some towns have prohibited cannabis enterprises looking to do business within their borders, New Fairfield has decided to follow suit of other municipalities and temporarily ban retail cannabis. Connecticut legalized recreational adult-use of marijuana in July, leaving municipal zoning boards with the decision of allowing, banning or imposing moratoriums on retail cannabis businesses. Some towns have gone the prohibition route, while others like Danbury have imposed temporary bans. Newtown was the first in the area to prohibit cannabis establishments back in July. In addition to allowing people 21 years and older to possess certain amounts of…