Poll: Connecticut Has 10th Highest Marijuana Use Rate in US

Possession of ½-ounce or less of marijuana is decriminalized in Connecticut. The fine for possession of less than ½-ounce is $150. It is estimated that 15.4-percent of Connecticut adults use marijuana at least once per year.

Connecticut ranks 10^th among states in terms of percentage of adult marijuana users, according to USA Today. Polls taken in 2002 showed that 39.1-percent of Connecticut adults (ages 26 and older) thought that marijuana is dangerous. Recent polls indicate that the overall attitude toward marijuana in the state has changed slightly with 28.8-percent of adults still considering marijuana to be dangerous.

Connecticut’s medical marijuana program has been in effect since 2012. It has grown and expanded. Additional dispensaries have opened.

Democrats in the state have attempted to include recreational marijuana regulation and taxation into their budget plan for 2017, but those efforts were stalled. Efforts to legalize recreational marijuana in 2018 are expected.

Decriminalization was the first step forward toward legalization. First-time offenders pay just a $150 fine. Repeat offenders pay varying fines up to $500. No jail time or criminal charges are faced if only simple marijuana possession is the infraction.