

Will My Insurance Pay for Rehab?

Connecticut Welcomes Medical Pot Today

By Tony O'Neill 10/01/12

Connecticut’s new law, which carries heavy caveats, makes it the 17th state to liberalize its position on marijuana. 

You can possess it, as long as you don't buy it...
Photo via

As of today, patients in Connecticut with certain debilitating conditions can apply for a license to legally possess and use medical marijuana. The law limits this to a list of specific conditions, including cancer; glaucoma; positive status for human immunodeficiency virus or acquired immune deficiency syndrome; Parkinson's disease; multiple sclerosis; and damage to the nervous tissue of the spinal cord with objective neurological indication of intractable spasticity. Other conditions covered include epilepsy, cachexia (also called wasting syndrome), Crohn's disease and PTSD. The Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection website carries instructions on how to apply. A doctor's recommendation is key—and interestingly the doctor must determine that “in the physician’s medical opinion, the potential benefits of the palliative use of marijuana would likely outweigh the health risks to the patient.” The relative health risks of far more easily obtainable meds are debatable, to say the least: there has never been a death caused directly by marijuana toxicity, while over-the-counter acetaminophen, for example, claims 500 lives per year and hospitalizes thousands.

After you get the go-ahead from the doc, you have little more to do than provide proof of Connecticut residency, ID, and a passport photograph to get started. Although there’s still no way to legally buy marijuana or marijuana seeds in Connecticut—an issue that the state hopes to resolve by 2013. According to Erik Williams, executive director of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML) in Connecticut, "There's a large amount of people who are thrilled to use medical marijuana instead of hardcore prescriptions that leave them acting like zombies. My hope is that this would be done in such a way that it is the absolute model for the nation." Connecticut is the 17th state to permit MMJ to some degree. In the race to become No. 18, the Arkansas Supreme Court—despite the best efforts of a conservative bloc calling itself the “Coalition to Preserve Arkansas Values”—has upheld a proposed ballot measure on medical pot that could make the Natural State the first in the South to join in. While the state-by-state push to change our marijuana laws gathers momentum—and gains popularity with voters—neither presidential candidate seems interested in capitalizing. 

Please read our comment policy. - The Fix
Tony O'Neill_0.jpg

Tony O'Neill, a regular contributor to The Fix, is the author of several novels, including Digging the VeinDown and Out on Murder Mile and Sick City. He also co-authored the New York Times bestseller Hero of the Underground (with Jason Peter) and the Los Angeles Times bestseller Neon Angel (with Cherie Currie). He lives in New York with his wife and daughter. You can follow Tony on Twitter.

Any Questions? Call Now To Speak to a Rehab Specialist
(844) 844-1491