All posts in Connecticut News

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own. A long list of states may become the next to make recreational marijuana legal. Some may do so through legislative action. Some may put the issue before voters. But the result is the same: Citizens in those states will get the right to possess and use cannabis (even if the federal government still says it’s a crime). When the legalization movement started, states took the matter to the voters. That’s typical on controversial issues—voters take the lead, and politicians follow once they see which way the wind is blowing.  At this point in…

In a phone call with CT Examiner, Dr. Suzanne Doyon, medical director at the Connecticut Poison Control Center, discussed a request to fund two additional positions in an anticipation of a significant rise in child poisonings given the recent legalization of recreational marijuana. Doyon said she was most concerned about an increase in small children ingesting edibles, which she said make up about half the calls the center receives each year.  Even before the legalization, Doyon said, calls had been on the rise.  “I’m just concerned because children being admitted to the ICU… it’s just not fun,” she said.  Doyon…

ESSEX, CHESTER, DEEP RIVER, CT — For the first time in history, starting Friday, October 1st, medical marijuana patients will be allowed to grow their own, personal marijuana plants in their homes. The recreational use of cannabis was legalized in Connecticut on July 1, 2021. As part of that new law, medical marijuana patients 18 years old and older, will be able to grow up to 3 mature and 3 immature marijuana plants at their homes starting October 1, with a cap of 12 total plants per household. According to the Connecticut Government website, all adults over age 21 will…

Higher education prattles about academic freedom but a recent poll of college students across the country supports the suspicion that higher education is becoming political indoctrination working against the country’s most basic liberty – freedom of speech. The poll, conducted by the market-research organization College Pulse, claims to have surveyed more than 37,000 students at 159 four-year colleges and to have found that two-thirds of their students approve shouting down a speaker on campus and 23% approve using violence to stop a disagreeable speaker. The accuracy of the poll may be questioned but if even a few college students really…

NEW MILFORD — Soon, if you’re caught smoking marijuana on town-owned or town-leased properties in New Milford, you might get slapped with a fine. During an hourslong Town Council meeting Monday, members unanimously voted to continue creating an ordinance restricting marijuana use on town properties. The council will bring the ordinance to a public hearing before its next meeting on Oct. 12. The public hearing will take place just before the meeting at 6:30 p.m. The proposed ordinance would allow law enforcement to fine people found smoking or vaping marijuana on or inside town properties. The state already prohibits its…

There are new waters to navigate in the state of Connecticut—legalized recreational use of marijuana and the workplace.  While the employment-related provisions of the state’s newly adopted marijuana legalization law do not take effect until July 1, 2022, employers should understand the impact on their workplaces.  Addressing employer questions: (clockwise from top left): CBIA’s John Blair, Carmody & Torrance’s Nick Zaino, and CBIA HR Counsel Diane Mokriski. Employer protection language in the law, commonly known as RERACA (Responsible and Equitable Regulation of Adult-Use Cannabis Act), comes from other state’s experiences, specifically neighboring Massachusetts and New York.  “They are some of…

Governor Gavin Newsom (D) signed legislation into law providing for the use of medical cannabis products within hospitals and other eligible health care facilities. Senate Bill 311 (a/k/a Ryan’s Law) provides for “a terminally ill patient’s use of medicinal cannabis within [a] health care facility.” The proposal prohibits patients from either inhaling or vaping herbal cannabis products, and restricts the use of any forms of cannabis in emergency rooms. Senator Hueso, the bill’s lead sponsor, said in a statement, “It is inconceivable to me that, in a state where medical cannabis was legalized more than 25 years ago, those in deepest…

Higher education prattles about academic freedom but a recent poll of college students across the country supports the suspicion that higher education is becoming political indoctrination working against the country’s most basic liberty, freedom of speech. The poll, conducted by the market-research organization College Pulse, claims to have surveyed more than 37,000 students at 159 four-year colleges and to have found that two-thirds of their students approve shouting down a speaker on campus and 23% approve using violence to stop a disagreeable speaker. The accuracy of the poll may be questioned but if even a few college students really believe…