Guilford Group Vows To Lead Fight Against Legalizing Marijuana

GUILFORD, CT — It’s a sure bet that when the General Assembly starts its latest session in a couple of weeks that one of the hottest debates is whether Connecticut should join the growing list of states to legalize recreational marijuana.

And you can count on one of the leading groups fighting legalization to once again be Guilford Development Assets for Youth (DAY), which has been one of the most vocal opponents of marijuana legalization in debates on the issues in recent years at public hearings in Hartford.

“There is strong opposition to legalization of marijuana in Connecticut,” DAY executive committee member Bo Huhn said.

“The word "recreation" is primarily associated with kids and teens, so by calling this "recreational" marijuana, the proponents have made it clear that this is aimed at our young people,” Huhn added.

“Likewise their packaging, cookies, and candy, containing MJ. There is a ton of neuroscientific research showing that chronic marijuana use adversely affects the developing brain of adolescents,” said Huhn.

California began selling recreational marijuana on Jan. 1^st in what's seen as a milestone. California is the sixth state to allow sales of recreational marijuana, and as the nation's most populous state, it's widely seen as a tremendous boost to mainstreaming marijuana.

Other states that allow the sale of recreational marijuana are Colorado, Washington, Oregon, Alaska and Nevada.

As of July 1st Massachusetts, Connecticut’s neighbor, will join the list. And soon to follow will be Maine, though no definite date has yet been set.

“We are surrounded by states that have are will be legalizing recreational marijuana,” Rep. Melissa Ziobron, R-East Haddam, said.

Ziobron has been a vocal supporter of legalization and has submitted a proposed legalization bill for the upcoming legislative session.

And she has company in the state legislature.

“The time has come - for sure,” Senate President Martin Looney, D-New Haven, another proponent for legalization said. Looney has sponsored legislation legalizing recreational marijuana in the past and he said he likely will again in the upcoming session.

Looney said that when a state such as California, which he termed as one of the “largest economies” in the world, acts then Connecticut needs to pay attention.

“We have a significant need to raise revenue,” Looney said, and legalizing and taxing marijuana is one way.

Back in Connecticut, even though two-thirds of Connecticut voters, or 63 percent, support making possession of small amounts of cannabis legal for adults, according to a March 2015 Quinnipiac University poll, efforts to legalize pot in the cash-strapped state of Connecticut have failed the past few years.

Connecticut’s Office of Fiscal Analysis has determined that the Nutmeg state could bring in from $45.4 million to $104.6 million a year if the legislature legalizes marijuana in the same way it’s been done in Massachusetts or Colorado.

The June 28, 2017 Democratic budget proposal said it would bring in $60 million in 2018 and $100 million in 2019.

Gov. Dannel P. Malloy has repeatedly stated that legalizing recreational use “isn’t a priority” for him, though he has added he would follow developments if and when a bill legalizing recreational pot makes it through the House and Senate.

Huhn hopes it doesn’t happen.

“The social costs of additional marijuana use are far greater than any possible additional tax income,” said Huhn. “This is being pushed by people who expect to reap profits from the damage to our kids. The groups opposed to this are confident the legislature will not be swamped by the corporate profiteers from California, Colorado and Massachusetts. The last thing Connecticut needs is more people using more drugs.”