University of Connecticut students pressing for reform of the state's marijuana laws aren't wasting any time: they are planning to hold a rally on Wednesday, the opening day of the legislative session and Dan Malloy's first day in the governor's office.
UConn's chapter of Students for Sensible Drug Policy will rally outside the Capitol from 9 to 10 a.m. Then they will take their cause inside, visiting individual lawmakers to make their case for legalizing medical marijuana and decriminalizing small amounts of marijuana possession.
"We chose the first day of the session because we know it's going to be busy with a lot going on and we wanted to be a part of that,'' said Sam Tracy, a UConn student active in the group. "We thought it was incredibly important to be there on the first day of the session...to make sure this gets a high priority.''
Tracy and other activists are emboldened by the election of Malloy, who they viewed as the most open to reforming marijuana laws of all of the gubernatorial candidates. Efforts to legalized medical marijuana were stymied by Gov. M. Jodi Rell, who vetoed such a measure in June, 2007. She also opposed attempts to decriminalize the possession of small amounts of marijuana.