'Broad Agreement' On Both Sides Crafting Legal CT Marijuana Law

CONNECTICUT —There is "broad agreement" in the state Legislature on the main sticking points of a bill to legalize recreational marijuana, Gov. Ned Lamont said Monday.

The bill, which would allow residents age 21 and over to possess up to 1.5 ounces, would go into effect Jan. 1, 2022, and sales would begin in May that year, subject to sales, excise and municipal taxes.

"I'm very optimistic," Lamont's Chief of Staff Paul Mounds said during a news conference. "But as the governor says, it all comes down to the details."

The thorniest of those surround the issue of racial equity. Supporters of a competing legal weed bill put forth by House Labor Committee Chair Rep. Robyn Porter stress the legislation needs to protect the interests of the communities who suffered most as a result of pot's outlaw status. In Porter's bill, equity applicants would for a time receive preference when the state issues marijuana dispensary licenses. On Monday, the governor said there was "growing agreement in terms of how the money goes to those communities most hit by the war on drugs."

Lamont said marijuana sales would bring in around $33.6 million in revenue for the state in fiscal year 2023 and $97 million by fiscal year 2026. Fifteen states and Washington, D.C., have legalized recreational marijuana, including neighboring New York and Massachusetts. In 2012, Connecticut decriminalized small amounts of marijuana and legalized medical marijuana. No toothier cannabis legislation has ever made its way to the governor's desk.

Even if lawmakers unite to launch the new law, they may have run out of runway for the current session in Hartford.

"There's going to be a time crunch," Mounds said. "But there is good progress that is being made. Hopefully if we keep on the same pace, it can lead to a bill that can be called in both chambers."

If the efforts in the final sprint fall short, House Speaker Matthew Ritter has said the Legislature may shift its efforts to putting a legal weed referendum on the ballot and let voters decide. The earliest that could happen is November 2022.