As the rest of the region moves forward, the Nutmeg State should not remain an island of prohibition — please contact your representatives and senators today! Massachusetts recently concluded its first year of retail cannabis sales to adults, and the results are in: nearly $400 million in sales, an estimated $67 million in state tax revenue, and up to $11.8 million in tax revenue for municipalities. There are still only about 35 retail stores open in the state, up from the original two that opened…

Expert panel will feature a retired police captain, a nurse, and a clergy member — please attend and show your support! Gov. Ned Lamont recently announced he will ask the Connecticut Legislature to pass a cannabis legalization bill in 2020. This is very encouraging news, but we know that Gov. Lamont can't end prohibition alone — we will need to continue building support in the legislature in order to achieve this worthy goal! Encouragingly, since the end of session many legislators have expressed…

The House and Senate will need to work together to get this done — please contact your representatives and senators today! Last week, Gov. Ned Lamont held a press conference with New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, and the two governors announced that they would work together with other governors in the region to end marijuana prohibition. Gov. Lamont said he would ask the Connecticut Legislature to pass a bill legalizing and regulating cannabis when it convenes in January. This is a promising development,…

We must continue building support for legalization, but first, we need to make sure chronic pain is approved as a qualifying condition for medical cannabis. A new poll just came out, and it confirms (yet again) that Connecticut residents strongly support legalizing cannabis and expunging criminal records for low-level offenses. Sadly, the legislature ended its regular session yesterday without voting on any of the bills that would have ended cannabis prohibition. It's disappointing that our opponents…

It’s crunch time for the legalization bill — contact your representatives and senators today! Our coalition has made great progress on cannabis policy in Connecticut this year, but now we are up against the clock. The legislative session is scheduled to end on June 5, and it remains unclear whether there will be enough support in the legislature to pass a bill to legalize, regulate, and tax cannabis before the session concludes. Many representatives and senators are saying they are still undecided,…

Join coalition leaders for a lobby day and press conference at the capitol on Wednesday, May 15. We’ve made great progress with the state legislature this year, but victory remains far from certain. The 2019 session is scheduled to end on June 5, and many representatives and senators still haven’t taken a position on the bills to legalize and regulate marijuana. According to legislative leaders who have been counting the votes, we still need to earn support from several undecided legislators in…

A committee has approved the third piece of the cannabis puzzle; please contact your legislators and help us cross the finish line this year. Yesterday evening, the Finance Committee approved Senate Bill 1138, bringing Connecticut one step closer to legalizing cannabis! Now that all three of the companion bills to legalize, regulate, and tax cannabis have passed their respective committees (you can read summaries here), it’s time for us to turn our attention to the full House and Senate. There…

Join us at 6 p.m. to learn more about what is happening in the legislature and how you can help! The Connecticut Legislature has taken important steps to advance marijuana legalization this session, but we know that victory remains far from certain. The bills are still works in progress, and many legislators remain undecided on the issue, so it’s clear that our coalition will need to ramp up efforts in the coming weeks. Fortunately, legislative leaders have made it clear that the issue is a priority…

Judiciary Committee votes to end marijuana prohibition — contact legislators today! We’re excited to announce that two co-directors have joined our team to lead the Connecticut Coalition to Regulate Marijuana: Kebra Smith-Bolden and Adam Wood. You can read more about them here. They have already begun working to expand and activate our coalition as we rally support for efforts to legalize, regulate, and tax cannabis, with a focus on equity and social justice. There is a very real opportunity for…

If you live in Connecticut, please contact your state legislators today and urge them to support legalizing, regulating, and taxing cannabis. After holding a public hearing on Friday, the General Law Committee voted today to pass HB 7371, the bill that would legalize and regulate adult-use cannabis in Connecticut. Although the bill still needs some work, this is an important step forward for our efforts. Contact your state legislators today and urge them to support the bills to legalize, regulate,…