Porter, who chairs the labor panel, said ending cannabis prohibition is \u201cneeded because of the disproportionate impact and damage that it has done to black and brown and poor communities, and it does need to be regulated in a way that provides equity to those who have been harmed the most.\u201d<\/p>\n
[embedded content]<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThe train has left the station, and I feel like Connecticut is actually playing catch up,\u201d she said. \u201cOur surrounding states are on board, and there are states across this nation that have done it already.\u201d<\/p>\n Unlike the governor\u2019s plan, this piece of legislation<\/a>, which was amended in committee, would allow home cultivation of up to six cannabis plants and would license social consumption sites. It also includes additional language on cannabis gifting and social equity applicants.<\/p>\n The amendment adds provisions from Lamont\u2019s bill concerning roadside testing for impairment, and it specifies 12 jurisdictions in the state where businesses would be eligible for exclusive access to community reinvestment funding for the first five years of implementation.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are overjoyed to see an equity-centered legalization bill pass with the support of so many communities,\u201d Jason Ortiz, president of the Minority Cannabis Business Association who served as chair of the governor\u2019s cannabis licensing working group last year<\/a>, told Marijuana Moment. \u201cOur bill is closely aligned with what we are seeing out of New York, and we are ready to get this bill a floor vote so we can finally end this war on our communities.\u201d<\/p>\n DeVaughn Ward, senior legislative counsel for the Marijuana Policy Project, also cheered the bill\u2019s passage.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s welcomed news that legislation that compliments the governor\u2019s opening proposal has advanced in the Connecticut legislature,\u201d he said. \u201cCannabis prohibition has been a failed policy that has caused significant damage to communities of color in Connecticut.\u201d<\/p>\n \u2014 \u201cHB 6377 is a step forward towards providing restorative justice to those impacted communities,\u201d Ward added. \u201cIt\u2019s my hope the concepts outlined in HB 6377 are incorporated into the final legislation.\u201d<\/p>\n Porter said in a press release after the vote that this \u201cis an historic day for those who believe economic justice is a foundational pillar of our community and the future cannabis industry.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cCannabis legalization will bring high paying union jobs, community investment and economic opportunity to our communities of color, but only if we do it right by starting with equity on day one,\u201d she said<\/a>.<\/p>\n For his part, Lamont, who convened an informal work group in recent months to make recommendations on the policy change<\/a>, said his budget plan involves establishing a \u201ccomprehensive framework for the cultivation, manufacture, sale, possession, use, and taxation of cannabis that prioritizes public health, public safety, and social justice.\u201d<\/p>\n House Speaker Matthew Ritter (D) said last week that \u201coptimism abounds\u201d as lawmakers work to merge proposals<\/a> into a final legalization bill.<\/p>\n Majority Leader Jason Rojas (D) said \u201cin principle, equity is important to both the administration and the legislature, and we\u2019re going to work through those details.\u201d<\/p>\n To that end, the majority leader said that working groups have been formed in the Democratic caucuses of the House and Senate to go through the governor\u2019s proposal and the committee-approved reform bill.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve seen just a lot of alignment with both. I don\u2019t think we\u2019re far off,\u201d Rojas said. He added that he\u2019s pleased these conversations are taking place in March\u2014rather than later this spring toward the end of the session\u2014so that lawmakers can \u201cget to a place where we can get something that\u2019s acceptable to a majority of the legislature for passage.\u201d<\/p>\n Last month, a Lamont administration official stressed during a hearing in the House Judiciary Committee that Lamont\u2019s proposal it is \u201cnot a final bill,\u201d and they want activists \u201cat the table\u201d<\/a> to further inform the legislation.<\/p>\n The legislature has considered legalization proposals on several occasions in recent years, including a bill that Democrats introduced last year on the governor\u2019s behalf<\/a>. Those bills stalled, however.<\/p>\n Lamont reiterated his support for legalizing marijuana<\/a> during his annual State of the State address in January, stating that he would be working with the legislature to advance the reform this session.<\/p>\n Ritter said in November that legalization in the state is \u201cinevitable.\u201d<\/a> He added later that month that \u201cI think it\u2019s got a 50\u201350 chance of passing<\/a> [in 2021], and I think you should have a vote regardless.\u201d The governor said in an interview earlier this month that he puts the odds of his legislation passing at \u201c60-40 percent chance.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n Should that effort fail, the speaker said he will move to put a constitutional question on the state\u2019s 2022 ballot that would leave the matter to voters<\/a>.<\/p>\n That would likely prove popular, as a poll released this month found that 66 percent of Connecticut adults favor legalization<\/a>, and the same percentage of respondents back expunging prior cannabis records.<\/p>\n The governor has compared the need for regional coordination on marijuana policy<\/a> to the coronavirus response, stating that officials have \u201cgot to think regionally when it comes to how we deal with the pandemic\u2014and I think we have to think regionally when it comes to marijuana, as well.\u201d<\/p>\n He also said that legalization in Connecticut could potentially reduce the spread of COVID-19<\/a> by limiting out-of-state trips to purchase legal cannabis in neighboring states such as Massachusetts and New Jersey.<\/p>\n Read the amended marijuana legalization bill that was approved in committee below: <\/strong><\/p>\n CT marijuana legalization bill<\/a> by Marijuana Moment<\/a><\/p>\n Minnesota Marijuana Legalization Bill Clears Fourth House Committee<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
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