Connecticut legalizes marijuana and becomes the 19th state to regulate adult use

Connecticut is set to become the 19th state to legalize adult cannabis use as lawmakers passed a bill this morning. It is widely expected that Governor Ned Lamont will sign it as early as today.

As of July 1st, it is legal to own up to 1.5 ounces. Look for retail sales that start in late spring 2022.

Starting July 1, 2021, it will be legal for adults 21 and older to have up to 1.5 ounces with them. It is legal to secure up to five ounces in a home or vehicle. (That is, especially in the trunk or locked glove box of a vehicle, or in a locked container in a person’s home.)

Retail sales are slated to start in May 2022 at the earliest.

Additionally, the new law provides for automatic deletion of cannabis convictions from January 1, 2000 through September 30, 2015 if less than 4 ounces of cannabis or any amount of certain other drugs have been possessed.

“The time for Connecticut has finally come,” said Rep. Steven Stafstrom (D-Bridgeport), who steered the bill through the house. “The war on drugs failed us. The criminalization of cannabis was the wrong path for our state and for our nation. “

Concentrate Ownership Limits

It’s worth noting that under the new law, the “1.5 ounce limit” means 7.5 grams of cannabis concentrate or any other cannabis product containing up to 750 mg of THC. (A typical pack of cannabis edibles contains 100 mg of THC.) The five ounce limit is equivalent to 25 grams of cannabis concentrate or other cannabis products containing up to 2,500 mg of THC.

Further provisions in the new law:

• You can grow your own from July 1st, limited to three mature plants plus three immature plants, for a total of six plants.
• Retail cannabis products must contain labels with THC content.
• State legislators are prohibited from entering the industry for two years after leaving office.
• The possession of cannabis paraphernalia is no longer prohibited.

Drama in the last few hours

The attempt to pass the legalization measure in a special session beginning on Wednesday was not without drama.

House MPs on Wednesday deleted an amendment previously added by the Senate to the cannabis legalization law that ensured that an applicant for a license to participate in the marijuana industry who would receive preferential status could include individuals who live in certain geographic areas and have previously been arrested or convicted for selling, using, manufacturing, or growing cannabis. The provision also applied to those whose parents, spouses or children were arrested or convicted of the same charge.

Democratic Governor Ned Lamont had threatened to veto the law if this provision were included on the grounds that it would open up the industry and give preference to tens of thousands of people with a history of cannabis crime or members of their families regardless of their financial situation means.

It was unclear from Lamont that it was a mistake, not a feature, of the bill. Legalization is intended to encourage those in the pre-legalized industry to pursue their trade in a legal and regulated manner.

But Connecticut Mirror reporter Mark Pazniokas has figured out the problem. The Senate amendment had broadened the definition of a “social justice candidate” to include anyone previously convicted of a marijuana crime, not just those seriously affected by the war on drugs.

As Pazniokas wrote:

This change would have given a much broader group of people a preference for licensing than residents of distressed communities: in theory, a wealthy investor with a child caught on a single joint would be eligible for a social justice license with no affiliation to it a distressed neighborhood.

Democratic House spokesman Matt Ritter put it differently: “I mean you should put your leg up because you got trapped? [for] Marijuana at 19 at Wesleyan’s? No, I don’t, ”he told reporters.

Strong equity measures included

In the end, lawmakers battling for justice measures saw the final bill as a big step forward. MP Juan Candelaria (D-New Haven) praised the strong measures taken by the Social Justice Legalization Act.

“We are able to make amends for the wrongs of the past and ensure that those communities that have been disproportionately affected get well,” Candelaria told the Hartford Courant. “We are able to repair the injustices of the past and ensure that these communities, which are disproportionately affected, get well.”

How to deal with underage usage violations

“While stronger language about property equality is needed, it is very encouraging to see a special fund being set up for substance use disorder treatment and mental illness treatment that will receive 25% of tax revenue,” said Zachary Green, president of the UConn Hartford Students for Sensible Chapters on Drug Policy (SSDP), which contributed to a rally for legalization in April. “This fund and the fact that students are no longer discriminated against through enrollment or punishment for their cannabis use is a huge step forward.”

Some youth-specific highlights of the bill are:

• No possession arrests for anyone under the age of 18.
• No discrimination against students who use medical cannabis.
• Schools must rewrite their guidelines by January 2022 to bring cannabis sentences into line with alcohol.
• Competitive athletes should not be penalized for failing a drug test for cannabis.
• No fine for possession under 4 ounces.

Connecticut will soon be the fourth state to pass legalization policies this year alone, alongside New Mexico, New York, and Virginia! https://t.co/e3bvzUc3t8

– Marijuana Policy Project (@MarijuanaPolicy) June 17, 2021

Associated Press material was used in this report.

Bruce Barcott

Leafly Senior Editor Bruce Barcott oversees news, research, and feature projects. He is a Guggenheim Fellow and author of Weed the People: The Future of Legal Marijuana in America.

View article by Bruce Barcott

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