There is no Cheech and Chong moment for Dan Drew.
Not even a Bill Clinton, “I … didn’t inhale.”
The Democratic gubernatorial candidate said he’s never tried marijuana, but supports legalizing recreational pot in Connecticut and will appear at a Nov. 28 Yale gubernatorial debate sponsored by the state chapter of the National Organization for Reform of Marijuana Laws.
The only other notable gubernatorial hopeful to commit to the event, which is also being organized by Students for Sensible Drug Policy, is Connecticut’s former Consumer Protection Commissioner, Jonathan Harris.
“Nobody believes me when I say this, but I have never smoked marijuana,” Drew told Hearst Connecticut Media. “I have never used cannabis in any form.”
The mayor of Middletown, home to Wesleyan University, which is consistently ranked as one of the most liberal campuses in the country, Drew said legalizing recreational marijuana would raise up to $250 million in annual revenue for the cash-strapped state and shift the focus onto opioid abuse.
“We treat marijuana in this country with more severity than we treat opioid narcotics, which are killing people every single day,” Drew said.
Everything but the kitchen sink
Mark Boughton has lost another running mate to the competition — but it’s not Heather Somers, who unceremoniously bailed on the Danbury mayor during the 2014 governor’s race.
Boughton’s ex-wife, Phyllis Boughton, gave $100 Sept. 30 to Boughton’s potential rival for the GOP gubernatorial nomination, Tim Herbst.
It’s been 20 months since the mayor’s longtime spouse, who owns a kitchen and bath remodeling business, filed for divorce, citing irreconcilable differences.
The mayor, who is exploring his third run for governor in 2018, downplayed the significance of her giving to Herbst.
“Listen, I know Tim purchased a number of kitchens from Connecticut Kitchen & Bath,” Boughton said.
Boughton estimated that…
