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!