Connecticut Decriminalizes Real Marijuana and Criminalizes Fake Marijuana

Connecticut’s State Legislature passed a law this week that decriminalizes the possession of small amounts of marijuana.

The bill awaits Governor Dan Malloy’s signature for completion, but he has promised to sign it as soon as he gets it, stating, "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."

A first offense small marijuana possession ticket fine is capped at a maximum of $150.

In an oddball twist, the State Senate also moved this week to criminalize the possession of small amounts of previously legal ‘synthetic marijuana’ and the herb salvia divinorum. Under the new law, both drugs, which were until this past March legally available for sale in stores, will become controlled substances; the possession of which is a criminal offense.