Medical Marijuana (H 7610A, S 2566)

The state’s medical marijuana program suffered a huge setback when, in June, the House and Senate passed Attorney General legislation promoting discrimination and harassment of marijuana cardholders without cause. Patients participating in the program will now be required to obtain a cultivation certificate from the Department of Health and a municipal zoning inspection. The legislation also limits the amount of marijuana that can be cultivated at a time, and allows landlords to discriminate against cultivating cardholders by refusing to lease to them. In short, it makes participation in the program much more onerous. The ACLU testified before the House Judiciary committee in opposition to this legislation in April, but the bill passed the House in June. Although the Senate version of the legislation never made it out of committee, the Senate approved the House’s version of the bill and it now heads to the Governor’s desk. The ACLU requested a veto.