The Connecticut Senate has approved a bill legalizing the sale and consumption of recreational marijuana, 14-11 with nine lawmakers absent.
The bill now goes to Gov. Ned Lamont, who is expected to sign it into law soon.
“It”™s fitting that the bill legalizing the adult use of cannabis and addressing the injustices caused by the war of drugs received final passage today, on the 50-year anniversary of President Nixon declaring the war,” Lamont remarked. “The war on cannabis, which was at its core a war on people in Black and Brown communities, not only caused injustices and increased disparities in our state, it did little to protect public health and safety.
“That”™s why I introduced a bill and worked hard with our partners in the legislature and other stakeholders to create a comprehensive framework for a securely regulated market that prioritizes public health, public safety, social justice, and equity,” he added. “It will help eliminate the dangerous unregulated market and support a new, growing sector of our economy which will create jobs.”
Senate Bill 1201Â received approval from the House yesterday, 76-62, after removing a controversial amendment that would have expanded the definition of a “social equity applicant,” originally intended to include licensees from communities that have been significantly impacted by the war on drugs, as well as to anybody with a record for a marijuana-related offense.
What the Senate had passed earlier this week would have allowed anyone with a marijuana-related arrest on their record to apply for a license, regardless of income or social background.
“That is not equity, and Governor Lamont will veto this bill if it reaches his desk in its current form,” the governor”™s chief of staff Paul Mounds said at the time.
The measure allows the purchase and possession of marijuana at age 21, beginning July 1. Consumers will be legally allowed to possess 1.5 ounces and another 5 ounces in their homes or in a locked vehicle.
Retail sale of marijuana is not expected until May 2022. To obtain a license, applicants would pay $1,000 to enter a lottery; if selected, they would pay $3 million for a license. Half of all approved licenses will go to social-equity applicants, who would pay roughly $1.5 million for their license during the first three years of the program.
“The states surrounding us already, or soon will, have legal adult-use markets,” Lamont said. “By allowing adults to possess cannabis, regulating its sale and content, training police officers in the latest techniques of detecting and preventing impaired driving, and expunging the criminal records of people with certain cannabis crimes, we”™re not only effectively modernizing our laws and addressing inequities, we”™re keeping Connecticut economically competitive with our neighboring states.
“Connecticut residents will benefit from the portion of cannabis revenues that will be dedicated to prevention and recovery services,” the governor added. “This measure is comprehensive, protects our children and the most vulnerable in our communities, and will be viewed as a national model for regulating the adult-use cannabis marketplace.
“I look forward to signing the bill and moving beyond this terrible period of incarceration and injustice,” he concluded.
