Recreational marijuana for adult use is now legal in the U.S. state of Connecticut.
HARTFORD — Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont, a Democrat, recently signed into law legislation that legalizes recreational marijuana for adult use and implements regulatory protocols moving forward. The legislation contains comprehensive reforms that address many policy areas, including equity, criminal justice, public health, and public safety.
“For decades, the war on cannabis caused injustices and created disparities while doing little to protect public health and safety,” Gov. Lamont said in a press statement. “The law that I signed today begins to right some of those wrongs by creating a comprehensive framework for a regulated market that prioritizes public health, public safety, criminal justice, and equity. It will help eliminate the dangerous, unregulated market and support a new and equitable sector of our economy that will create jobs.”
According to Lamont’s office, some of the key reforms focus on the basic possession of cannabis among adults aged 21 years and above. Starting July 1, 2021, legal adults cannot have more than 1.5 ounces of cannabis on their person, and no more than 5 ounces in their homes or locked in their car or truck’s glove box.
By the end of 2022, retail sales of cannabis aim to begin in the state. The sale, manufacture, and cultivation of cannabis would require a license from state regulators.
“This legislation allows employers to continue to enforce drug-free workplaces and respects the need for employers to maintain workplace safety and to remain in compliance with federal laws and contracts,” notes the press statement from Lamont.
“This measure is comprehensive, protects our children and the most vulnerable in our communities, and will be viewed as a national model for regulating adult-use cannabis,” Gov. Lamont added in his press announcement. “By signing this into law today, we are helping our state move beyond this terrible period of incarceration and injustice.”
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