The practice of exchanging cannabis or cannabis-related products for donations or other purchases — known as “gifting” — could now carry a heavy price tag Connecticut.
Under legislation signed last week by Democratic Gov. Ned Lamont, towns can fine residents up to $1,000 for gifting a cannabis plant or related products.
The state also has the authority to issue $1,000 fines for not paying state sales taxes on the exchanges.
Connecticut Senate Has Passed Legalizing Marijuana
At the start of the week, the Senate In Connecticut approved a piece of legislation to legalize marijuana. Now the next step of the process is sending the bill off for the last phase of voting which will be done by the House. This last approval comes just days left in the legislative session.
Those who the heads of the House have mentioned they plan to take up the legislation in that chamber before Wednesday’s end-of-session deadline Yet it will be sorted following working out matters concerning the state budget.
A bill to legalize marijuana in Connecticut that’s being backed by the governor was approved by a key committee on Tuesday—but it “remains a work in progress,” the chairman said.
The legislation, which has been amended since its introduction to include a series of new social equity provisions, advanced through the legislature’s Judiciary Committee after a 22-16 vote.
But it’s not the only legalization bill that lawmakers are considering. A competing proposal from Rep. Robyn Porter (D) was approved in the Labor and Public Employees Committee last month.
Several MSOs, including Curaleaf, Green Thumb Industries and Trulieve, have spent tens of millions of dollars in the past two years to enter or expand in Connecticut’s MMJ market and position themselves for the possible legalization of recreational cannabis.
In addition, any adult-use market is expected to generate license and ancillary opportunities for a number of Connecticut-based enterprises, including social equity applicants and small businesses.
Some lawmakers took a practical approach to the issue of cannabis legalization.
“No one is here advocating for the use of cannabis, that’s not what this is about,” said Representative Steve Stafstrom. This is about saying it is here. It is at our doorsteps. It’s on our streets. How should we as a state regulate that substance?”
A year ago, marijuana legalization looked like it was on a roll in the Northeast — it had already passed in three of the region’s states and was a priority for governors in three more, including the populous New York.
Now, after legislative efforts stalled and a vaping sickness stirred new concerns, the governors of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut still want to make recreational pot legal. And they and Pennsylvania's governor have been comparing notes on how to do it.
Rhode Island Gov. Gina Raimondo (D) says she’ll make another attempt to legalize marijuana in the Ocean State next year.
In an appearance on WPRI-TV’s Newsmakers program, the governor said she recently discussed the cannabis issue during a lunch with Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont (D) and Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker (R), and she left feeling encouraged to pursue the policy change.
The governors of New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, and Pennsylvania met in New York City Thursday to try to hash out a multi-state approach to legalizing the adult recreational use of marijuana.
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo says the governors are trying to adopt a unified approach to legalization to avoid their residents crossing borders and going to other states where the laws might be more expansive or the taxes might be lower.
When Crystal Peoples-Stokes emerged from a multi-state “Cannabis and Vaping Summit” in a Midtown Manhattan hotel ballroom on Thursday afternoon, she was modestly upbeat, but not gushing. Peoples-Stokes has been trying to get marijuana legalized in New York for six years.
“It was better than I anticipated,” the Assembly Majority Leader said. “I was a little skeptical going in. I’ve heard a lot of rhetoric before.”
Gov. Phil Murphy met with fellow Democratic governors in neighboring states with hopes to create common regulations on weed and vaping during a summit Thursday morning in Manhattan.
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont announced late last month they planned to join together on issues of vaping and marijuana legalization, and said at the time they wanted to involve New Jersey, too.