Connecticut law attempts to shield children from drugs by imposing additional prison sentences on offenders who expose children to them. Offenses covered in this section impose terms of imprisonment in addition to any punishment received for the underlying drug offense. These additional terms of imprisonment are not suspendable by the court. Also, they must get served consecutively with any prison time imposed for the underlying offense.

There exist three separate criminal offenses contained within Conn. Gen. Stat. § 21a-278a. Each offense carries their own term of imprisonment for involving children with drug crimes.

(1) A person 18 years of age or older selling a controlled substance to another person under 18 years of age.

(2) Manufacturing, distributing, or possessing with intent to sell a controlled substance within 1500 feet of a school.

(3) Employing a person under 18 years of age to sell or possess with intent to distribute a controlled substance. Each offense gets discussed separately in the following sections.

Penalty for Illegal Manufacture, Distribution, Sale, Prescription or Administration. Conn. Gen. Stat. § 21a-278a

The text of this sections reads as follows:

Penalty for illegal manufacture, distribution, sale, prescription or administration – Conn. Gen. Stat. § 21a-278a

Section A

Any person eighteen years of age or older who violates section 21a-277 or 21a-278, and who is not, at the time of such action, a drug-dependent person, by distributing, selling, prescribing, dispensing, offering, giving or administering any controlled substance to another person who is under eighteen years of age and is at least two years younger than such person who is in violation of section 21a-277 or 21a-278, shall be imprisoned for a term of two years, which shall not be suspended and shall be in addition and consecutive to any term of imprisonment imposed for violation of section 21a-277 or 21a-278.

Section B

Any person who violates section 21a-277 or 21a-278 by manufacturing, distributing, selling, prescribing, dispensing, compounding, transporting with the intent to sell or dispense, possessing with the intent to sell or dispense, offering, giving or administering to another person any controlled substance in or on, or within one thousand five hundred feet of, the real property comprising a public or private elementary or secondary school, a public housing project or a licensed child day care center, as defined in section 19a-77, identified as a child day care center by a sign posted in a conspicuous place faces imprisonment for a term of three years, which shall not get suspended and shall exist in addition and consecutive to any term of imprisonment imposed for violation of section 21a-277 or 21a-278.

Also, to constitute a violation of this subsection, an act of transporting or possessing a controlled substance exists with intent to sell or dispense in or on, or within one thousand five hundred feet of, the real property comprising a public or private elementary or secondary school, a public housing project or a licensed child day care center, as defined in section 19a-77, identified as a child day care center by a sign posted in a conspicuous place. In addition, for the purposes of this subsection, “public housing project” means dwelling accommodations operated as a state or federally subsidized multifamily housing project by a housing authority, nonprofit corporation or municipal developer, as defined in section 8-39, pursuant to chapter 128 or by the Connecticut Housing Authority pursuant to chapter 129.

Section C

Any person who employs, hires, uses, persuades, induces, entices or coerces a person under eighteen years of age to violate section 21a-277 or 21a-278 shall be imprisoned for a term of three years, which shall not be suspended and shall be in addition and consecutive to any term of imprisonment imposed for violation of section 21a-277 or 21a-278.