Here Are Details Of CT’s New Legal Weed Proposal

HARTFORD, CT — Lawmakers unveiled the first draft of proposals that could lead to the legalization of recreational marijuana use and sales in Connecticut.

State Rep, Mike D’Agostino (D-Hamden) said there will likely be several changes after committees receive input from experts and residents at public hearings. Recreational marijuana bills have died before getting to a full vote in previous years, however, Gov. Ned Lamont has expressed support for legalization. Former Gov. Dannel Malloy had said he was against it.

The basic outline would make it legal for adults 21-years-old and older to possess 1.5 ounces of marijuana for recreational use. It would also allow for previous marijuana possession convictions to be erased from court records.

Legalization would differ from Massachusetts in terms of getting sales up to speed. Massachusetts had about a two year lag time between legalization and sales. The draft bill would allow the Department of Consumer Protection to propose regulations that would have to be approved by the governor to allow current medical marijuana retailers to sell recreationally on a temporary basis until the full roll out of the recreational regulation program, D’Agostino said.

“We have a very robust highly-regulated, incredibly well run medical cannabis marketplace, and we want to leverage that and be able to use some of what is in place now,” D’Agostino said.

Overall taxation would be about 20 percent, which is about what Massachusetts has, said State Rep. Jason Rojas (D-East Hartford).

Connecticut would raise more than $45 million in tax revenue three years into legalization under a Massachusetts style tax plan, according to a 2017 Office of Fiscal Analysis report.

Current medical marijuana cultivators, manufacturers and retailers would get first dibs on recreational licensing. People from areas strongly affected by the war on drugs would also get to apply for recreational licensing three months before the general public.

The current bill wouldn’t allow vertical integration of cultivation, manufacture and sale of recreational marijuana. Cultivation and manufacturing could be done, but retail would have to be separate.

Current draft language wouldn’t allow for home growing at this point, but that could change down the road, D’Agostino said.

Medical patients would be allowed to get higher potency and a greater quantity than recreational purchasers.

The bill also prohibits packaging and products that could be appealing to children including things like banning edible gummy bears.

Another aspect would establish new criminal offenses for smoking or ingesting marijuana while driving or while a passenger was smoking. Current DUI laws would remain in effect. It would also include training for state and local law enforcement to recognize when a driver is operating under the influence of marijuana.

It’s a long road until the end of the legislative session in June, D’Agostino said. Bills will have to go through the General Law, Finance and Judiciary Committees. Eventually all the bills would coalesce into a single bill.