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The Connecticut Senate early Tuesday morning passed a bill to legalize marijuana, sending the proposal to the House for final approval with just days left in the legislative session.<\/p>\n
House leaders say they plan to take up the legislation in that chamber before Wednesday\u2019s end-of-session deadline but after first tackling the state budget.<\/p>\n
The cannabis bill is the product of weeks of negotiations<\/a> between legislative leaders and Gov. Ned Lamont\u2019s (D) office. Finalized language was introduced only on Saturday<\/a>, giving lawmakers little time to review the roughly 300-page proposal.<\/p>\n But during a marathon floor debate that stretched into the early hours Tuesday morning, the Senate passed the bill<\/a>\u00a0in a 19\u201317 vote.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have seen what has been wrought by having a war on drugs,\u201d Sen. Gary Winfield (D) said on the floor before the vote. \u201cWhole communities have been decimated. And some people will say, \u2018Well, there are not a lot of people in our state in jail for cannabis today,\u2019 but there are vestigial ways in which communities are still impacted by what we were doing.\u201d<\/p>\n Noting that cannabis was once available in American apothecaries, Winfield ran through the history of the drug war and argued that marijuana prohibition\u2019s racist origins and consequences continue to be felt today.<\/p>\n \u201cThe reason I think we should legalize cannabis is not because of the money\u2014that\u2019s an important part of this,\u201d he added, \u201cbut because we should have never made cannabis an illegal drug. It should never have been prohibited. It should never have been a Schedule I drug, particularly given how it got there.\u201d<\/p>\n Legislation currently being debated begins the necessary and long-overdue work of fixing the damage caused by decades of failed drug policies. #legalizecannabis<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/lcQF7MuJtQ<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 CT Senate Democrats (@CTSenateDems) June 8, 2021<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n Asked whether there will be enough support in the House to pass the measure, Majority Leader Jason Rojas (D) said earlier Monday that he believes the votes will be there\u2014but he\u2019s \u201cstill answering lots of questions\u201d from members about specific provisions.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m confident that we\u2019ll get there,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n House Speaker Matt Ritter (D) added that \u201cwe do expect it to pass.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe don\u2019t think we\u2019ll have 97 votes,\u201d he said, referring to the total number of Democratic members in the body. \u201cWe understand there will be noes in our caucus \u2026 But we\u2019ve heard from a few people on the other side of the aisle too that have had a chance to digest and stuff, and I would say there\u2019s a few people involved in conversations there too.\u201d<\/p>\n He also left open the possibility that opponents may attempt to run out the clock and push the debate on the legalization measure all the way to the session\u2019s mandated end at midnight on Wednesday. But if that happens, he said, he could call lawmakers back into a special session as early as the following day to tackle the issue.<\/p>\n On the Senate floor, Republicans pushed back strongly against the proposal, arguing\u00a0that broadly legalizing marijuana would risk condoning cannabis use, especially among youth.<\/p>\n \u201cI do believe this is the wrong direction for the state of Connecticut. I think there\u2019s so many unanswered questions,\u201d said Sen. John Kissel (R), who said he took credit for being a chief proponent and framer of the state\u2019s existing medical marijuana law.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen you call it recreational marijuana, it sounds like, you know, a playground, like an amusement park, like playing cards with your friends,\u201d he continued. \u201cWell, it might be a little more dangerous than that, you know?\u201d<\/p>\n Sen. Dan Champagne (R), a former law enforcement officer, argued the bill would create headaches for police. He pressed Winfield on the difficulties of identifying acute cannabis intoxication in drivers and warned of high costs involved with training drug recognition experts who can identify people under the influence of marijuana. He also worried that certain provisions, such as allowing individuals to possess up to five ounces of cannabis in their car glove box, could fuel the illicit market.<\/p>\n \u201cI figured we\u2019d have a lot more security, a lot more, \u2018This is what we\u2019re going to do to protect people,\u2019\u201d he said. \u201cInstead I see giveaways to the unions. I see a slush fund being created. I just see a lot of problems in here. I fear for our youth.\u201d<\/p>\n Prior to negotiations, the governor backed a separate legalization proposal that received significant criticism from advocates for a lack of social equity provisions aimed at correcting the wrongs of the drug war. That legislation moved through two committees, but it will not be the vehicle for the reform moving forward.<\/p>\n Here are some key details about the new, Senate-approved legislation:<\/strong><\/p>\n Lawmakers considered a number of amendments on the floor prior to the final vote. Most were offered by Republicans and rejected along party lines.<\/p>\n One amendment from Winfield, which was adopted on a voice vote, made a number of substantial and technical changes. Among other revisions, it deletes a section that would have allowed backers of marijuana producers to obtain cultivation licenses without being subject to a lottery and clarifies that a higher percentage of equity joint-venture owners be from disproportionately impacted areas. It also expands equity provisions of the bill so that 100 percent of profits with joint ventures with existing businesses go to equity partners, rather than the 5 percent in the original bill, and exempts medical marijuana from potency limits that apply to adult-use products.<\/p>\n Among the amendments that failed were an effort to require marijuana to be packaged with information from the Centers for Disease Control and prevention about \u201cthe potential harmful health effects of cannabis use\u201d and a separate push to remove labor union requirements that would apply to marijuana businesses.<\/p>\n The Senate also rejected an amendment from Sen. Heather Somers (R) that, among other changes, would have delayed legalization until 2024 and established a study to analyze cannabis\u2019s effects on adolescent brains, addiction, mental illness and impaired driving.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re legitimizing a highly potent, mind-altering drug to collect our little piece of gold that we may get from it,\u201d Somers said. \u201cThis bill may generate $80 million in revenue, but the costs will well outstrip any kind of revenue we\u2019ll see come in.\u201d<\/p>\n A fiscal note<\/a> of the unamended bill projects that taxes and fees for marijuana would bring in an estimated $4.1 million in additional revenue for the state and municipalities in fiscal year 2022, which would grow over time to a projected annual haul of $73.4 million by fiscal year 2026.<\/p>\n Legalization advocates cheered the bill\u2019s Senate passage.<\/p>\n \u201cToday is an historic day, where equity advocates, labor unions and small business owners were able to ensure their communities would be a foundation of the new cannabis industry as we end the practice of arresting our youth and communities of color for cannabis,\u201d Jason Ortiz, executive director of Students for Sensible Drug Policy, told Marijuana Moment.<\/p>\n \u201cThe job is not done yet but this is a huge step forward toward a more sensible drug policy in Connecticut,\u201d added Ortiz, who served a member of a legalization working group assembled by Lamont that\u00a0issued recommendations on social equity<\/a> late last year.<\/p>\n According to a recent @sacredheartuniv<\/a> poll, over 61% of #Connecticut<\/a> residents support erasure of convictions for #recreationalcannabis<\/a> offenses. pic.twitter.com\/bSUopNsMnp<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 CT Senate Democrats (@CTSenateDems) June 8, 2021<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n DeVaughn Ward, senior legislative council for Marijuana Policy project, called the bill\u2019s passage \u201ca huge step forward in ending the failed policies of cannabis prohibition.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe bill not only removes policies that have been weaponized against communities of color, but also generates thousands of jobs, and directs millions of dollars in revenue to Connecticut communities,\u201d he told Marijuana Moment. \u201cLegislative leaders, Gov. Lamont, advocates and the Connecticut cannabis community should be applauded for their role in shaping this historic measure. We strongly urge the Connecticut House to pass the bill before the June 9th session deadline.\u201d<\/p>\n Prior to the compromise bill, progressive Democrats had signaled that they feel legislative leaders and the governor were moving too quickly and\u00a0sidestepping important social equity considerations<\/a>.\u00a0Rep. Anne Hughes (D), cochair of the Progressive Caucus, told Marijuana Moment last week that \u201cwe want to do it right\u201d\u2014and that may mean tackling the reform in a special session, an option opposed by leadership and the governor.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, the governor said recently that he and legislative leaders are having \u201cgood, strong negotiations,\u201d and there\u2019s \u201cbroad agreement\u201d on policies concerning public health and safety. There\u2019s \u201cgrowing agreement\u201d with respect to using marijuana tax revenue to reinvest in communities disproportionately harmed by prohibition.<\/p>\n \u2014 If a legalization measure isn\u2019t enacted this year, Lamont said last month that the issue could ultimately go before voters.<\/p>\n \u201cMarijuana is sort of interesting to me. When it goes to a vote of the people through some sort of a referendum, it passes overwhelmingly. When it goes through a legislature and a lot of telephone calls are made, it\u2019s slim or doesn\u2019t pass,\u201d the governor said. \u201cWe\u2019re trying to do it through the legislature. Folks are elected to make a decision, and we\u2019ll see where it goes. If it doesn\u2019t, we\u2019ll probably end up in a referendum.\u201d<\/p>\n Ritter said late last month that he feels there\u2019s a\u00a057-43 chance that the legislation is approved<\/a>, whereas he\u00a0previously gave it a 50-50 chance<\/a>.<\/p>\n He last year that if the legislature isn\u2019t able to pass a legalization bill, he will move to put\u00a0a question on the state\u2019s 2022 ballot that would leave the matter to voters<\/a>.<\/p>\n According to recent polling, if legalization did go before voters, it would pass.<\/p>\n Sixty-four percent of residents in the state favor legalizing cannabis for adult use, according to a survey from Sacred Heart University that was released last week.<\/p>\n The competing legalization measure from Rep. Robyn Porter (D), which is favored by many legalization advocates for its focus on social equity, was\u00a0approved in the Labor and Public Employees Committee<\/a>\u00a0in March.<\/p>\n Lamont, who convened an informal work group in recent months to\u00a0make recommendations on the policy change<\/a>, initially described his legalization plan as a \u201ccomprehensive framework for the cultivation, manufacture, sale, possession, use, and taxation of cannabis that prioritizes public health, public safety, and social justice.\u201d<\/p>\n But while advocates have strongly criticized the governor\u2019s plan as inadequate when it comes to equity provisions, Ritter said in March that\u00a0\u201coptimism abounds\u201d as lawmakers work to merge proposals<\/a>\u00a0into a final legalization bill.<\/p>\n Rojas also said that \u201cin principle, equity is important to both the administration and the legislature, and we\u2019re going to work through those details.\u201d<\/p>\n To that end, the majority leader said that working groups have been formed in the Democratic caucuses of the legislature to go through the governor\u2019s proposal and the committee-approved reform bill.<\/p>\n In February, a Lamont administration official stressed during a hearing in the House Judiciary Committee that Lamont\u2019s proposal it is \u201cnot a final bill,\u201d and\u00a0they want activists \u201cat the table\u201d<\/a>\u00a0to further inform the legislation.<\/p>\n The legislature has considered legalization proposals on several occasions in recent years, including a bill that Democrats\u00a0introduced last year on the governor\u2019s behalf<\/a>. Those bills stalled, however.<\/p>\n Lamont\u00a0reiterated his support for legalizing marijuana<\/a>\u00a0during his annual State of the State address in January, stating that he would be working with the legislature to advance the reform this session.<\/p>\n The governor has compared the\u00a0need for regional coordination on marijuana policy<\/a>\u00a0to the coronavirus response, stating that officials have \u201cgot to think regionally when it comes to how we deal with the pandemic\u2014and I think we have to think regionally when it comes to marijuana, as well.\u201d<\/p>\n He also said that legalization in Connecticut could\u00a0potentially reduce the spread of COVID-19<\/a>\u00a0by limiting out-of-state trips to purchase legal cannabis in neighboring states such as Massachusetts and New Jersey.<\/p>\n Nevada Governor Signs Bill Legalizing Marijuana Consumption Lounges<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n Photo courtesy of WeedPornDaily<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n The post Connecticut Senate Approves Marijuana Legalization Bill, Days Before Session Ends<\/a> appeared first on Marijuana Moment<\/a>.<\/p>\n
The Connecticut Senate early Tuesday morning passed a bill to legalize marijuana, sending the proposal to the House for final approval with just days left in the legislative session. House leaders say they plan to take up the legislation in that chamber before Wednesday\u2019s end-of-session deadline but after first tacklingContinue Reading<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":48122,"comment_status":"false","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[18,81],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48121"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=48121"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48121\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":48123,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48121\/revisions\/48123"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/48122"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=48121"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=48121"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=48121"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}\n
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\nRead More: Connecticut Senate Approves Marijuana Legalization Bill, Days Before Session Ends<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"