Connecticut General Assembly Passes Bill to Legalize Marijuana

(Hartford, CT) Today, just days after the introduction of a new, 300-page bill and the calling of a special session, the Connecticut General Assembly approved a bill legalizing and commercializing marijuana.

Dr. Kevin Sabet, president of Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM) released the following statement in response:

“When it comes to legislation, a rushed process almost always results in poor policy. We do not expect Connecticut’s hurry to commercialize marijuana in the last weeks of the legislative session and this unnecessary special session to be any different. As we have seen in the rollout of commercialization in Illinois, a policy of marijuana industry expansion has routinely failed to make good on the very subject that has been central to this entire process: social justice.

“The process has been rife with last-minute changes and a stunning level of shady tactics. In the final days of the traditional legislative session, a provision enriching one specific marijuana operator was discovered and supposedly removed minutes before the final vote in the Senate. Other provisions may allow savvy investors to exploit ‘social equity’ loopholes as changes continue to be made.”

“The stark irony in the passage of this bill is that it comes at the same moment as lawmakers in Colorado are beginning the process of taking a second look at their support for the marijuana industry as it becomes clear that the state’s youth are using dangerous, high potency products at alarmingly high rates. In rushing forward in this process and bowing to the demands of Big Pot, the citizens of Connecticut were done a terrible disservice by their lawmakers.”