The Connecticut House of Representatives has voted 89-58 to approve a medical-marijuana bill, the New Haven Register reported May 24.

The bill would allow patients with a doctor's prescription to grow and use the drug to alleviate symptoms associated with cancer or other serious illnesses. The measure now heads to the state Senate for consideration. Connecticut Gov. Jodi Rell has not committed to signing the bill into the law should the Senate approve it, saying she still has "mixed emotions" over the measure.

The debate over the bill featured supporters touting the health benefits of the drug and opponents detailing the addiction struggles of friends and family members. State Rep. Penny Bacchiochi (R-Somers) recounted her husband's use of marijuana during his battle with terminal cancer. "At one point in my life, I purchased marijuana for someone I loved, someone sick, and I would do it again," she said. "Be it a curse or a blessing, I have come to know a lot about medical marijuana."

Answering concerns about illegal drug purchases, the co-chairman of the legislature's Judiciary Committee said that marijuana use and purchases have effectively been decriminalized since police refuse to make arrests in such cases. State Rep.  Michael P.  Lawlor (D-East Haven) added that doctors also prescribe drugs "that are much more powerful, much more dangerous and much more addictive than marijuana."

The bill bars anyone with a marijuana possession or sales conviction from being a medical-marijuana caregiver under the legislation.