Crime & Safety

Conn. to Decriminalize Minor Marijuana Possession

Those caught with less than half an ounce of marijuana will soon only face a monetary fine. Shelton's Police Chief disagrees with new bill.

Yesterday, the House passed a bill which will impose simple monetary penalties for possession of less than a half-ounce of marijuana, doing away with misdemeanor offense charges, according to an Associated Press report

Under the new bill, charges for the first offense of minor possession would be $150, with the fine increasing within the range of $200-$500 for subsequent charges, according to the report. Those under 18 years of age caught with possession will be both fined and will have their driver’s license revoked for 60 days, the report statess. 

Only Conn. Governor Dan Malloy needs to sign the bill for it to become law. Malloy has been an advocate  for decriminalizing small amounts of marijuana, and released an email statement to the press “applauding” the House’s decision and promised to sign the new legislation.

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“Final approval of this legislation accepts the reality that the current law does more harm than good – both in the impact it has on people’s lives and the burden it places on police, prosecutors and probation officers of the criminal justice system,” said Malloy in the email.

“Let me make it clear - we are not legalizing the use of marijuana. In modifying this law, we are recognizing that the punishment should fit the crime, and acknowledging the effects of its application.  There is no question that the state’s criminal justice resources could be more effectively utilized for convicting, incarcerating and supervising violent and more serious offenders,” Malloy wrote.

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“Modification of this law will now put Connecticut in line with the laws of two of our neighboring states, New York and Massachusetts, and a total of thirteen states across the country with similar statutes. I applaud the General Assembly in their passage of this legislation and will sign it into law. I would also like to specifically thank State Senator Martin Looney, who first introduced this legislation in 2009, for his support and advocacy of this issue,” wrote the governor.

Not all are as enthusiastic about the bill, however. In an e-mail, Chief Joel Hurliman said he "respectfully disagrees" with Malloy's stance on marijuana charges that reduce the penalty for the possession of less than an ounce of marijuana from a crime to an infraction carrying a fine for the following reasons:

  1. "A drug dealer who has only a small amount of marijuana which would constitute an infraction is not under arrest for a criminal offense which would then allow a search of his/her person and or the immediate area for firearms or other weapons.
  2. Marijuana is still a gateway drug for harder things such as heroin. The price of a bag of heroin is as little as 3-4 dollars which is less than cheap wine or a six pack of beer.
  3. There is still Law Enforcement discretion at work under the present system. An arrest is not always made in the case of a first time offender where this may be the only crime. Example: teenagers caught at party with beer and marijuana. Repeat offenders, especially those caught in areas of many neighbor complaints can be enforced.
  4. A drug dealer who manages to dispose of most of the hard drugs when police are serving a search warrant or making an arrest can still be arrested for possession of marijuana.
  5. Failure to obey a stop sign is an infraction."

Also among those opposed to the bill was Senator Toni Boucher (R-26), who Boucher resides in Wilton.


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