Connecticut to become 19th U.S. state to legalize cannabis

Connecticut is set to become 19th state to legalize cannabis for adults, The state legislature passed a bill yesterday. Governor Ned Lamont is expected to sign the bill today.

From July 1, 2021, it will be legal for adults aged 21 and over to carry up to 1.5 ounces (42 grams) on their person. It will be legal to have up to 5 ounces (140 grams) securely in a home or vehicle. Retail sales are not expected to begin until at least May 2022.

The new law also provides for automatic erasure of convictions for possession of less than 4 ounces of cannabis or any quantity of certain other drugs, handed down between January 1, 2000 and September 30, 2015.

«Connecticut's time has finally come,» said Representative Steven Stafstrom, who steered the bill through the House. «The war on drugs has hurt us. Criminalizing cannabis was the wrong course of action for our state and for our nation.»

«The war on cannabis, which was originally a war against people from black communities, The legalization of marijuana has not only caused injustice and increased disparity in our state, it has done little to protect public health and safety,» said Governor Lamont in a statement. «[Legalization] will help eliminate the dangerous unregulated market and support a new, growing sector of our economy that will create jobs.»

Here's my statement on final approval by the Connecticut General Assembly of legislation legalizing adult-use cannabis.

I look forward to signing the bill and moving beyond this terrible period of incarceration and injustice. pic.twitter.com/H4DYBcbe0K

- Governor Ned Lamont (@GovNedLamont) June 17, 2021

«The states around us already have, or soon will have, legal adult-use markets,» said Gov. Lamont.

«By allowing adults to possess cannabis, regulating its sale [...], not only are we effectively modernizing our laws and addressing inequalities, but we are maintaining Connecticut's economic competitiveness with neighboring states.»

Connecticut legalized medical cannabis in 2014, and the nation's largest cannabis companies, including Curaleaf, Green Thumb Industries and Trulieve, all already have a foot in the state.