CT Marijuana Legalization Is Alive Again: Here's When It May Come

HARTFORD, CT — Northeast peer pressure and fear of missing out on tens of millions of tax dollars may nudge Connecticut closer to recreational marijuana legalization in 2020.

The state may be closer than ever to potentially legalizing recreational marijuana after Democratic Senate leadership and Gov. Ned Lamont said times have changed enough for it to become a reality in the Land of Steady Habits.

Legislators will once again debate whether to legalize recreational marijuana this year as neighboring states make similar pushes. Maine, Massahussetts and Vermont have already legalized recreational use while New York, Rhode Island and New Jersey are expected to debate the issue in 2020.

State Senate President Pro Tempore Martin Looney said that failing to legalize recreational marijuana would be akin to a state trying to hold onto alcohol prohibition after the 21st amendment passed.

“I don’t think we want to put our heads in the sand,” he said at a Thursday press conference.

An initial 25 percent tax on top of the regular 6.35 percent state tax on marijuana could bring in $70 million in tax revenue for Connecticut for the first full year of legalization, Looney said. Eventually the state could move toward an excise tax system similar to other states that would bring in $160 million annually to Connecticut’s coffers.

“Very large” numbers of Connecticut residents are already taking their dollars to Massachusetts to buy regulated marijuana, Looney said. Meanwhile New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced that he will push to legalize recreational marijuana in the 2020 legislative session. New York’s legislature voted against a bill to legalize it last year.

Passing the bill won’t be without its challenges, Looney said, but he noted that polls show strong support among Connecticut residents. A Hartford Courant/Sacred Heart University poll last year found that recreational marijuana legalization was supported by 59 percent of those polled. Massachusetts residents passed a marijuana legalization referendum 53.7 percent to 46.3 percent in 2017.

Connecticut’s constitution doesn’t allow for direct voter petitions. The only way Connecticut voters can directly vote on state laws is via constitutional amendments, which have to be approved to be on the ballot by the legislature first. The process can take several years if there isn’t wide support within the legislature.

Gov. Ned Lamont and Cuomo came together last year to announce that both states will work together to come up with regional policies regarding recreational marijauna and e-cigarette regulations.

Lamont last year left the ball in the legislature's court and didn’t make a big push on legalization as he focused on the vehicle tolling proposal. He gave it stronger support when asked by reporters at a Wednesday press conference and noted that surrounding states have already legalized it or are moving to legalize it in the near future.

“I think times are changing, like I said look at what all of our neighboring states are doing, right now we have hundreds of people driving to Massachusetts everyday, every week to buy recreational cannabis, is that in the best interest of this state,” he said.

Rhode Island Gov. Gina Raimondo included legalizing recreational marijuana in her state budget proposal.

Connecticut made it closer than ever to legalizing recreational marijuana last year after three separate legislative committees passed bills that had to do with taxing and legalizing it. Another bill would have paved the way for criminal records to be expunged for possession of small amounts of marijuana from the time before decriminalization. The bills never made it to a full legislative vote.

The effort last year won’t be in vain because they offer a good blueprint for 2020 bills, Looney said.