Received this e-mail today from middletown Mayor Dan Drew’s (D. CT) gubernatorial campaign:
Friend,
Most of the arguments we’ve seen for legalizing marijuana here in our state have focused on the financial benefits that additional tax revenue would generate. And to be sure, estimates of roughly $100 million in added revenue would indeed make a big difference in tackling our budget deficit. So would the savings we’d see by ending the costly enforcement of marijuana laws and ridiculous prison costs. Police officers could go back to protecting us from real threats, corrections costs would go down, and people’s lives would no longer be destroyed because of unjust marijuana laws.
By regulating our marijuana markets and ending a lengthy prohibition, Connecticut can create a new agricultural sector in the Connecticut River Valley. The state can protect the tens of thousands of Connecticut cannabis consumers from tainted products and unknown potencies. Our government can stop the destructive drug policies that disproportionately impact both poor and minority communities. Legalizing marijuana will help raise revenue to fix Connecticut’s budget crisis.
Lastly, as a mayor, I have seen firsthand the tragedy of opioid abuse and overdose in the city of Middletown. Studies have shown that the rate of opioid overdoses dropped in states that have legalized cannabis. If we can save lives with the legalization of cannabis, then that alone should be a significant reason to move forward on the legalization of marijuana.
If you believe we should legalize and tax cannabis in Connecticut then we need your help. Please, take the time and contribute to our campaign to ensure we end the needless prohibition on cannabis in Connecticut.
Click here to Legalize Marijuana in CT
All My Best,
Dan Drew
P.S. NORML and Yale SSDP are sponsoring a debate in New Haven you can see event details here, or you can watch our live stream on Dan Drew’s Facebook Page here on November 28th at 7 pm.
Click here to RSVP for the debate on on Facebook.
Click here to donate to Drew’s campaign.