The governor of Connecticut elects the chair of the Social Justice Council

Connecticut’s adult-use law was packed with provisions to ensure a fair industry, and now the state’s Social Equity Council has a new chair.

Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont announced Dec. 27 that he had appointed Paul O. Robertson, Deputy Commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development (DECD), to chair the state’s Social Justice Council.

The Social Equity Council seeks to ensure that Connecticut’s adult cannabis program is adequately represented and to ensure that funds from the adult cannabis program go to the right communities that are disproportionately hard hit by the war on drugs, according to the council’s Code of Ethics. Robertson’s new role begins when the seat becomes vacant early next year.

“Connecticut’s adult cannabis program is at a pivotal time right now, and I appreciate the steps the Social Equity Council has taken to date to ensure it is implemented in the fair manner that we intend to in passing this legislation.” presented,” Governor Lamont said. “Paul will bring relevant experience and strong existing relationships with Council members to his role as Chair, and I thank him for agreeing to take on this leadership role.”

Deputy Commissioner Robertson succeeds Andréa Comer, Deputy Commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection (DCP), as chair of the Social Justice Council.

Deputy Commissioner Comer plans to leave her job at DCP and her membership of the Council to take on a new role as Chief of Staff to Treasurer-elect Erick Russell. This new role will be filled when he takes his oath of office on January 4, 2023. Under state law, the governor must select one of the council members to be the new chair.

“I am grateful to Governor Lamont for entrusting me with this important role and I look forward to serving the state in this new capacity,” said Deputy Commissioner Robertson. “Deputy Commissioner Comer has done a wonderful job in leading the Social Justice Council to this point and I intend to continue to work with its members and our partner agencies to ensure the cannabis market for adult use grows equitably .”

The Purpose of the Social Justice Council

Enforcement of cannabis laws has disproportionately targeted certain communities, and minority cannabis ownership remains low, prompting many states to introduce social justice regulations in an effort to address some persistent problems.

In Connecticut, the state’s census areas are identifying disproportionately affected areas to encourage and encourage full participation in the cannabis industry by people from communities that have been disproportionately harmed by cannabis prohibition. The recommended tracts are available on Connecticut’s Open Data Portal.

To qualify as a disproportionately affected area, these communities must have either a historical drug-related conviction rate greater than one-tenth or an unemployment rate greater than 10%, as determined annually by the Social Equity Council.

The council issues credentials for all of its council members. Pursuant to Public Act 21-1 of Connecticut’s adult cannabis statute, the Council consists of 15 members, seven of whom are appointed by the legislature, four are appointed by the governor, and four are ex officio members.

Other efforts are being made to right yesterday’s wrongs, such as the deletion of thousands of cannabis-related conviction records. Earlier this month, Gov. Ned Lamont’s office said in a press release that records “will be fully or partially erased in approximately 44,000 instances over the next month by “an automated erasure method.”

The Connecticut Adult Use Act included provisions to grant the first retail licenses to those in areas hardest hit by long-standing drug policies and to delete the records of those with certain cannabis-related convictions.