Effective July 1, 2011, the State of Connecticut decriminalized the possession of 1/2 ounce of marijuana or less. However, this does NOT mean marijuana use is illegal. CPN has prepared a flyer for you to use a resource within your communities to help explain this new law.

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News on K2/Salvia from NBCConnecticut.com:
CT Lawmakers Want to Ban Drug Miley Made Famous

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CDC TASK FORCE SAYS COMMERCIAL LIABILITY IS AN EFFECTIVE PREVENTION STRATEGY

A press release from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was released on August 10, 2011 in which they announce that the findings of the Community Prevention Services Task Force were posted online August 10, 2011 by the American Journal of Preventive Medicine and will be published in the journal's September 2011 issue. The findings were based on a systematic review of all available studies conducted by the Task Force, an independent, non-federal, volunteer body of public health and prevention experts. Among the findings released was the effectiveness of commercial host liability, otherwise known as dram shop liability, for reducing alcohol-related harms. The findings were released in the Report to Congress on the Prevention and Reduction of Underage Drinking.

The press release states that "Holding alcohol retailers liable for injuries or damage done by their intoxicated customers can reduce motor vehicle deaths, homicides, injuries, and other alcohol-related problems." A dram shop is any retail establishment where alcohol is sold. Traditionally, it referred to a shop where spirits were sold by the dram, a small unit of liquid. Dram shop liability refers to laws that provide for the liability of retail establishments that sell alcohol for the injuries or harms caused by their intoxicated or underage customers. The Task Force had found that these types of laws have been shown to encourage more responsible beverage serving because managers and servers have an incentive to more closely manage their beverage service to intoxicated and underage customers, which can lead to penalties for retail establishments when this service leads to harms or damages.

According to the press release, as of January 2009, 44 states and the District of Columbia have dram shop laws, although the laws vary in their scope and in the evidence required for holding commercial hosts liable for their conduct. State-by-state information on dram shop laws pertaining to illegal service to underage minors is included in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Report to Congress on the Prevention and Reduction of Underage Drinking.

Further, the Task Force found that jurisdictions that seek to hold retail alcohol establishments liable for injuries or harms that result from their service to intoxicated customers or underage minors have reduced incidence of alcohol-related problems, including injuries and deaths. Evidence shows that dram shop liability can reduce motor vehicle deaths, homicide, and alcohol-related medical conditions. In six studies that examined the association, a median reduction in alcohol-related motor vehicle deaths of 6.4 percent was found in areas with increased dram shop liability. The article to be released in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine also says that more research is needed to determine the effectiveness of enhanced enforcement of laws that prohibit overservice, or the service of alcoholic beverages to intoxicated customers.
Excessive alcohol use causes more than 79,000 deaths in the United States each year and contributes to a wide range of health and social problems. For more information, see http://www.thecommunityguide.org.