Exciting news! Moments ago, Gov. Lamont signed S.B. 1201 — “An Act Concerning Equitable and Responsible Regulation of Cannabis” — into law, making Connecticut the 19th state to end cannabis prohibition. Connecticut is the sixth state to legalize via its state legislature and the fourth state to legalize this year, along with New Mexico, New York, and Virginia.
You may recall, earlier this month the House and Senate passed S.B. 1201 in special session on 76-62 and 16-11 votes, respectively. With Gov. Lamont’s signature, cannabis prohibition will effectively end in Connecticut on July 1.
Starting on July 1, adults over the age of 21 will be allowed to possess up to one and a half ounces of cannabis on their person and up to five ounces in a locked trunk or secured at their home. Legal sales are anticipated to begin by May 2022. Adults will be allowed to securely cultivate cannabis at home starting July 1, 2023.
Additionally, 50% of licenses will be reserved for equity applicants, and up to 75% of the revenue will be dedicated towards equity efforts and community reinvestment. You can check out a full summary of the bill here and a condensed summary here.
MPP is proud to have played a leading role in this multi-year effort to reform Connecticut’s cannabis laws. However, this accomplishment would not have been possible without all of your calls, emails, texts, and support over the years to get this equity-centered legislation across the finish line. This is our collective victory to share.
Congratulations!
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CT Gov. Ned Lamont signs legalization bill into law!
Connecticut Legislature votes to legalize cannabis!
The Constitution State will become the 19th state to end cannabis prohibition.
We did it!
Today, the Connecticut Senate voted (16-11) to concur with a House-passed version of a bill that will legalize cannabis for adults 21 and over. The House passed the bill yesterday in a 76-62 vote. Gov. Ned Lamont has said he will sign the bill into law.
S.B. 1201, sponsored by Senate President Martin Looney and House Speaker Matt Ritter, would legalize possession and home cultivation of cannabis for adults 21 and older and expunge thousands of cannabis-related records.
The legislation is the result of negotiations between lawmakers, advocates, and the broader cannabis community to create an inclusive industry that provides equity to those most harmed by prohibition. Half of new cannabis business licenses would be issued to social equity applicants, who could receive technical assistance, start-up funding, assistance from an accelerator program, and workforce training. In addition to mitigating decades of disproportionate impact, this policy change will generate good-paying jobs and power the state’s economic growth while also allowing adults to make their own decisions about cannabis consumption. A summary of the bill is here.
MPP played a leading role in the fight to reform Connecticut’s cannabis laws, and we’re proud of the hard work invested to ensure passage of equity-centered legalization. We believe the bill as passed is one of the most comprehensive cannabis bills in the nation, and we’d like to thank House and Senate leadership, Rep. Jason Rojas, Rep. Steven Stafstrom, House Speaker Matt Ritter, Sen. Gary Winfield, and Senate President Looney for getting it over the finish line.
We’d also like to thank Gov. Ned Lamont and his office for their commitment to passing a strong bill. Last but not least, we’d like to thank our amazing Regulate CT lobbying and advocacy team — Paul Nuñez and the staff of Depino, Nuñez and Biggs; Adam Wood of City and State Public Affairs; and Hillary Glass of Reynolds Strategy Group for all of their insight and assistance in a multi-year effort to get this bill done.
Onward!
Ct.: Judiciary Committee sets public hearing for Gov. Lamont’s 2021 legalization bill
Ask your state lawmakers to legalize cannabis this year.
The Judiciary Committee recently announced that the public hearing for S.B. 888 – An Act Responsibly and Equitably Regulating Adult-Use Cannabis – is scheduled for Friday, February 26 at 10:00 a.m.
The public hearing can be viewed via YouTube Live. In addition, the public hearing may be recorded and broadcast live on CT-N.com.
If you wish to testify, you must register using the Online Testimony Registration Form. Registration will close on February 25 at 3:00 p.m. Speaker order of approved registrants will be listed in a randomized order and posted on the Judiciary Committee website on February 26 at 8:00 a.m. under Public Hearing Testimony. If you do not have internet access, you may provide testimony via telephone. To register to testify by phone, call the Phone Registrant Line at (860) 240-5255 to leave your contact information. Please email written testimony in Word or PDF format to [email protected].
Testimony should clearly state testifier name and related bill number. The first hour of the hearing will be limited to constitutional officers, state agency heads, and chief elected municipal officials. Speakers will be limited to three minutes of testimony. The committee encourages witnesses to submit a written statement and to condense oral testimony to a summary of that statement. All public hearing testimony, written and spoken, is public information. As such, it will be made available on the CGA website and indexed by internet search engines.
MPP will be imploring the committee to advance the bill, but to first make revisions to make it stronger and more explicit on equity. We’ll post some tips for testifying shortly. In the meantime, feel free to check out our summary of the bill here, and be sure to write your legislators urging them to support legislation to regulate and tax the sale of cannabis to adults in the 2021 session.
Connecticut: Regulators approve medical cannabis expansion
Good news! On Tuesday, the Connecticut Legislative Regulations Review Committee approved allowing medical cannabis to treat chronic pain — although it narrowly defined the term. The Board of Physicians recommended adding chronic pain as a qualifying condition on September 27, 2019. Previously, Connecticut was the only state medical marijuana program that did not permit patients to treat chronic pain with medical marijuana.
The revision permits medical marijuana to be recommended for adults with “chronic pain of at least six months duration associated with a specific underlying chronic condition refractory to other treatment intervention.” Unfortunately, that narrow definition means physicians can only recommend cannabis to patients who have sought treatment for their chronic pain for at least six months and whose pain has been resistant to other treatments.
The committee also approved the use of medical marijuana to treat Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, an inherited disorder that weakens the body’s connective tissue and leads to weakened blood vessels and organs.
While these revisions undoubtedly expand patients’ ability to use medical marijuana to treat their aliments, Connecticut will have one of the most restrictive chronic pain provisions in the country. Patients will have to suffer for months before trying cannabis and will first be steered to far more dangerous medications.
Earlier this year, a bill to allow any adult, 21 or older, to use cannabis stalled due to a COVID-related closure of the capitol. It’s our hope that the Connecticut Legislature takes up the issue of adult-use cannabis in a special session this year or during the 2021 regular session. Many individuals who suffer from conditions that can be treated with marijuana aren’t able to access medical marijuana cards.
Please join us by writing Gov. Ned Lamont to urge him to prioritize legalization. You can go the extra mile by spreading the word to others, calling his office at 860-566-4840, or making an appeal on Twitter.
We wish you and your loved ones well and thank you for your continued support.
Connecticut legalization update
Let your legislators know Connecticut cannot wait another year.
Just a few weeks ago, before life changed dramatically, S.B. 16 – An Act Concerning Adult Use of Cannabis – was primed for action.
In February, Senate President Pro Tem Martin Looney (D) and House Speaker Joe Aresimowicz (D) introduced the Governor’s Bill, which would allow adults 21 and older to possess and purchase up to one-and-a-half ounces of cannabis from licensed retailers. A summary of the bill can be found here.
On March 2, the Judiciary Committee held a public hearing on Gov. Ned Lamont’s bill to end prohibition and regulate marijuana for adult use in Connecticut. Prior to the hearing, the Connecticut Coalition to Regulate Marijuana joined together with other stakeholders to voice support for action on the bill and stayed to testify at the public hearing. MPP's testimony can be found here.
Later in March, legislative leaders ordered the Capitol and Legislative Office Building closed until April 13. Legislative leaders and committee chairs continue to prioritize and analyze bills in anticipation of session resuming. The deadline for moving the bill out of committee is March 30, but that is expected to be extended in light of the pause in the legislative session.
The Connecticut Coalition to Regulate Marijuana and MPP will continue to encourage the legislature to pass legalization and regulation this year. The coronavirus makes it all the more apparent that incarcerating individuals for cannabis is wrong. Meanwhile, shifting marijuana to the legal market can create jobs, generate tax revenue, and help the state’s economic recovery.
To help keep this issue on lawmakers’ radar, please consider signing up to make calls to legislators by contacting me directly. You can also send a message to your legislators here.
We wish you and your loved ones well during these difficult times.
Let’s make 2020 the year Connecticut legalizes marijuana
Ask your lawmakers to replace marijuana prohibition with sensible, equitable regulation.
Today is the opening day of the Connecticut General Assembly. While last year’s efforts to end marijuana prohibition fell short, 2020 promises to be our best chance yet.
During Gov. Ned Lamont’s State of the State address this afternoon, he remarked, “We just marked the 100th anniversary of prohibition. How did that work out?”
He called for a coordinated regional approach to marijuana regulation to protect public heath and to “right the wrongs of a war on drugs that has disproportionately impacted our minority communities.” His budget includes new staff to prepare for legal sales in 2022.
Senate Democrats included legalization in their list of 2020 priorities, with Senate President Martin Looney saying, “We know there are very large numbers of Connecticut residents already traveling regularly to Massachusetts to buy this product... I don’t think we want to put our heads in the sand.”
Meanwhile, a recent poll found 65% of Connecticuters support legalization.
We’re ramping up our campaign. The Marijuana Policy Project hired attorney DeVaughn Ward, who will serve as co-chair of the coalition. During his years practicing law at his Hartford-based firm, he routinely represented clients who had their constitutional rights violated. Last year, DeVaughn was recognized as one of the “New Leaders in The Law” by the Connecticut Law Tribune.
But we can’t pass legalization without your support. Please write to your lawmakers today.
We also need your help to volunteer, write letters to the editor, and show up at the capitol at critical moments in the coming weeks. Please follow this link to sign up today!
We will be in touch soon to keep you in the loop on what’s happening at the capitol. This is our moment, and we need you now more than ever!
Connecticut must take action to regulate cannabis
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 last November, so it’s clear that this is only the beginning.
Connecticut urgently needs to follow the Bay State’s example. Gov. Lamont has said that he will ask the legislature to pass a bill legalizing and regulating cannabis when it convenes in February, but the governor won’t be able to make it happen by himself — his voice will need to be joined by a chorus of strong support from the public.
After you write your legislators, please “like” our coalition on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, and share this message with your family and friends!
We can’t afford to let this opportunity slip away, so please also consider supporting the Connecticut Coalition to Regulate Marijuana with a donation.
Next Wednesday: Attend a town hall on legalization in Danbury!
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 interest in learning more about the issue and in hearing more from their constituents. We are pleased to announce that two of these legislators — state Rep. Raghib Allie-Brennan and Sen. Julie Kushner — will be hosting a community conversation on cannabis legalization in Danbury on Wednesday, October 30, from 5:30 to 7 p.m. The event will feature a panel of experts who support legalization, followed by audience Q&A.
This will be a great opportunity to show support and participate in the discussion. Here are the details:
WHAT: Community conversation on cannabis legalization, regulation, and taxation
WHERE: Connecticut Institute for Communities, 120 Main Street, Danbury (in the Community Room)
WHEN: Wednesday, October 30, 5:30 to 7 p.m.
WHO: Rep. Raghib Allie-Brennan and Sen. Julie Kushner; Capt. Lawrence Hunter (Retired, Waterbury Police Department); Rev. Tommie Jackson; Kebra Smith-Bolden, R.N., president, CURE-CT; Matt Simon, New England political director, Marijuana Policy Project
Please attend if you are able, and share this information with your friends in the Danbury area!
Ct.: Gov. Lamont says he will ask legislature to legalize in 2020
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, but we know that Gov. Lamont can't make it happen by himself — the House and Senate will have to cooperate to make legalization a reality. Please email your elected officials right now and urge them to support ending marijuana prohibition in 2020!
In other positive news, the Medical Marijuana Program Board of Physicians recommended that chronic pain and Ehlers-Danlos syndrome be added as qualifying conditions for patients 18 and older. Unfortunately, it could take up to a year before the additions are enacted, and the recommended requirements for a chronic pain diagnosis are far more restrictive than in most other states: doctors would have to document a chronic pain period of six months or more, an underlying condition causing the pain, and that other treatments have failed.
If the legislature does its job next year, adult-use legalization could be a reality by the time these conditions are added. After you write your legislators, please "like" our coalition on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, and share this message with your family and friends!
Effective advocacy costs money, so please also consider supporting our efforts with a donation.