Connecticut Senate approves cannabis legalization plan

The Connecticut Senate passed a bill early Tuesday morning that would legalize cannabis, sending the proposal to the House of Representatives for final approval.

House leaders have said they plan to consider the legislation in that chamber before Wednesday's end-of-session deadline, but after first tackling the state budget. The proposal has a strong chance of passing there, unless Republican representatives play for time and prolong debates until they can no longer address the legalization project.

The cannabis bill is the result of weeks of negotiations between legislative leaders and Democratic Governor Ned Lamont's office. The final text was not presented until Saturday, leaving legislators little time to review the roughly 300-page proposal.

But in a marathon debate that stretched into the early hours of Tuesday morning, the Senate passed the bill by a vote of 19 to 17.

Legislation currently being debated begins the necessary and long-overdue work of fixing the damage caused by decades of failed drug policies. #legalizecannabis pic.twitter.com/lcQF7MuJtQ

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- CT Senate Democrats (@CTSenateDems) June 8, 2021

«We've seen the consequences of the war on drugs,» said Senator Gary Winfield before the vote. «Whole communities have been decimated. And some people will say, ‘Well, there aren't many people in our state in prison for cannabis today,’ but there are many ways in which communities are still affected by what we were doing.»

Noting that cannabis was once available in American apothecaries, Winfield ran through the history of the drug war and argued that the racist origins and consequences of cannabis prohibition continue to be felt today.

«The reason I think we should legalize cannabis is not because of the money, that's an important part of the issue,» he added, «but because we should never have made cannabis an illegal drug. It should never have been banned. It should never have been a Schedule I drug, especially given the way it got there.»

Details of the bill

The bill of law, entitled «An Act respecting the responsible and equitable regulation of cannabis for adult use», provides:

• allow adults aged 21 and over to possess up to 1.5 ounces (42 grams) of cannabis as of July 1
• authorize the retail sale of cannabis. Sales could begin in May 2022.
• previous convictions for possession of less than 4 ounces (112 grams) of cannabis would be automatically expunged as of 2023
• The mere smell of cannabis would no longer be legal grounds for law enforcement to stop and search people, nor would the alleged possession of up to 5 ounces (140 grams) of cannabis
• Cannabis products would be capped at 30 % THC by weight for cannabis flower, with the exception of pre-filled cartridges up to 60 % of THC. These limits may be adjusted at a later date. Retailers will also have to provide access to products with low THC and high CBD content.
• the state will tax cannabis sales at 6.35 %, and an additional excise tax based on THC content would be imposed. The bill also authorizes a municipal tax of 3%, which must be reinvested in communities.
• Existing medical cannabis dispensaries could become «hybrid retailers» to also serve adult-use consumers. Applicants would have to submit a conversion plan and pay a $1 million fee. This fee could be halved if they create a so-called equity joint venture, which would have to be majority owned by a social equity applicant
• Medical cannabis producers will also be able to start growing cannabis for adult use in the second half of 2021, but will have to pay fees of up to $3 million