As a result of the state’s recent decision to legalize cannabis, the chief state attorney’s office in Connecticut has dropped 1,562 possession charges. Meanwhile, state lawmakers are working on a bill to stop cannabis-specific cases in the future, according to a report by Ganjapreneur.
CT insider reports the charges in another 624 cases that were looked at by Chief State’s Attorney Patrick J. Griffin’s investigators will be changed so that marijuana is no longer a part of them.
As a follow-up to the full legalization of cannabis, state lawmakers are writing a bill that will tell the state Division of Criminal Justice to stop pursuing only cannabis-related cases. This review and ending of cases happened at the same time. Griffin told the General Assembly’s Judiciary Committee that his office had to look at each ongoing case individually because cannabis was on a list of controlled substances in state law, along with cocaine and heroin.
“When the chief state’s attorney testified, he said, while the statute doesn’t specifically say that it was retroactive to pending cases, he understands the legislative intent,” Howard stated “he accepts that, and he has made that clear to all of his state’s attorneys and obviously they have been hard at work about that.”
Last week, the committee voted 27-10 along party lines to pass the bill telling the Criminal Justice Division to stop pursuing marijuana cases. It will be looked at by the whole chamber next.