Reuters
2:11 p.m. CDT, June 1, 2012

By Mary Ellen Clark

NEW YORK, June 1 (Reuters) - Connecticut on Friday became
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the 17th U.S. state to legalize the medical use of marijuana.

The state's Governor Dannel Malloy signed into law
legislation allowing licensed physicians to certify an adult
patient's use of marijuana for medical purposes, according to a
statement from the governor's office.

The new law puts in place restrictions to prevent the kind
of abuse that has plagued some of the 16 other states and the
District of Columbia where pot is legal for medical use.

"For years, we've heard from so many patients with chronic
diseases who undergo treatments like chemotherapy or radiation
and are denied the palliative benefits that medical marijuana
would provide," Governor Malloy said.

"With careful regulation and safeguards, this law will allow
a doctor and a patient to decide what is in that patient's best
interest," he said.

Under the bill, patients and their caregivers must register
with the Department of Consumer Protection. In addition, a
doctor must certify there is a medical need for marijuana to be
dispensed, including such debilitating conditions as cancer,
glaucoma, HIV, AIDS, Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis or
epilepsy.

Finally, only a pharmacist with a special license can
dispense medical marijuana, according to the new law.

(Editing by Barbara Goldberg and Andrew Hay)