After long years of debate and fine-tuning of the rules, Connecticut medical marijuana dispensaries are starting to open for business, including the Thames Valley Alternative Relief dispensary on Route 32 in Montville.

This newspaper supported the legalization of medical marijuana after years of testimony from patients who said no other drug provided them the relief they sought from various medical problems. Others testified they could function while using marijuana, but not when taking the powerful pharmaceutical drugs prescribed for them.

Also, a growing number of physicians and researchers in the medical community have recognized the palliative influences of taking marijuana.

In an attempt to learn from mistakes in other states, Connecticut allows marijuana to be legally purchased only from a few licensed dispensaries. Patients need certification from a physician and doctors can only prescribe marijuana for a limited number of maladies. These include cancer, glaucoma, wasting syndrome, HIV/AIDS, Parkinson's, Multiple Sclerosis, spasticity, Crohn's Disease and PTSD. Other states have placed few, if any, restrictions on the types of illnesses for which doctors can prescribe marijuana, leading to near de facto legalization.

Yet, as an untested program, it is difficult to predict how things will play out. Initial costs seem expensive, about $1,000 for a monthly allotment of 2.5 ounces. Also, a requirement that the buds - the most potent part - be ground up, could make the legal drug less attractive to sufferers. The intent of the grounding is to ensure a homogenous product and detract from the potential for street sale by reducing its attractiveness in the recreational market.

It is possible that patients, confronted with the cost and the grounding rule, could continue taking their chances with illegal purchases. Laurie Zrenda, co-owner of the dispensary, told The Day the vast majority of patients she has seen are already using marijuana illegally.

It was also surprising to learn edible marijuana alternatives, which have the advantage of avoiding any risk of lung damage, were not available as the dispensary opened last week. They soon may be.

The future of marijuana in this country continues to evolve, from legalization in some states, to medical marijuana options in other states, to total prohibition in many. Federally, possessing and selling the drug remains a serious crime.

Now Connecticut joins this great experiment.