Connecticut Governor Continues Effort to Legalize Marijuana
Although a measure to legalize marijuana last year failed to gain enough traction to become law, Governor Ned Lamont is vowing to continue the fight.
In his state of the state address this week Governor Lamont said that ending marijuana prohibition represents “an opportunity to right the wrongs of a war on drugs that has disproportionately impacted our minority communities.” The governor said that he intends to work with “neighboring states as we consider regulating marijuana for adult use.”
“Like it or not, legalized marijuana is a short drive away in Massachusetts and New York is soon to follow,” said Lamont. “Coordinated regional regulation is our best chance to protect public health by displacing illicit sellers with trusted providers.”
“Right now, what you can buy legally in Massachusetts could land you in prison for up to a year in Connecticut,” he added. “We just marked the 100th anniversary of prohibition. How did that work out? The patchwork of cannabis and vaping laws are impossible to enforce.”
High Times reports that last fall, Lamont and New York Governor Andrew Cuomo held a summit in which they held a summit to “to develop guidelines and principles that will benefit the two states’ vaping oversight and cannabis legalization and help keep Connecticut and New York residents safe.” It was what Lamont’s office described as “a strategic partnership between Connecticut and New York to develop a uniform regional approach to policies on e-cigarettes and legal cannabis.”
“We not only share borders, but we share economic interests, public health priorities, and a joint understanding that the more states work together on these kinds of issues, the better the policy results will be for our residents,” Lamont said in a statement at the time.
“For decades, communities of color were disproportionately affected by the unequal enforcement of marijuana laws,” Cuomo said in his address. “Let’s legalize adult use of marijuana.”