Gov. Ned Lamont held a roundtable discussion Wednesday morning on his proposal to legalize the recreational use of marijuana a few days ahead of a legislative hearing on the bill he’s floating.
A cross section of stakeholders in government, the business community and the public gathered for a virtual meeting in which they touted Lamont’s proposal for its focus on racial equity, and ability to revitalize the state’s economy.Â
“We’re going to use the revenues from this to get back into the communities, back to the municipalities, pull down property taxes, and help some of the communities that have been hardest hit to get back on their feet,” Lamont said.
The General Assembly’s Judiciary Committee is scheduled to hold a hearing on Lamont’s proposed legalization bill Friday at 10 a.m.
The bill addresses the broad topic of social equity — who should benefit from the new industry, including communities disproportionately impacted by criminal marijuana laws — but it also defers many questions to an Equity Commission that could make recommendations before the start date in 2022.
The governor’s bill would also create licenses for entry-level portions of the business that would require relatively little capital: micro-cultivator, food and beverage manufacturer, and delivery. Those licenses could be limited to so-called social equity applicants.
Municipalities have no control over the location of medical dispensaries, but the retail sale of recreational cannabis would be subject to local zoning rules, including signage.
As a further sweetener to cities and towns, half of the excise tax revenue would go to municipal aid and social equity, beginning in the 2024 fiscal year.
Cities and towns would have the authority to regulate or prohibit the consumption of cannabis in any public space. Consumption while driving would be prohibited, as would smoking of cannabis by the passenger of a motor vehicle.
Aside from issues of who can participate is who will benefit from the revenue the industry will generate for the state. Lamont’s bill anticipates excise taxes on cultivation, a municipal sales tax at retail, and the state sales tax at retail and delivery. Â
On the call, Middletown Mayor Benjamin Florsheim said the bill could be a method of “growing our tax base and bringing in more business and revenue.” The mayor also pointed out that there are six marijuana dispensaries in Massachusetts that are less than an hour’s drive from Middletown.
Former state Rep. Michael Lawlor, a criminal justice reform expert who currently works as a professor at the University of New Haven, said legalizing marijuana could reduce criminality by cutting off a revenue source for organized crime.
“[Legalization] is like the worst nightmare for organized crime drug dealers,” Lawlor said. “This is an important way to rein in the criminal behavior we see generally in this state.”
A CT Mirror report is included in this story
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