Connecticut has officially legalized the recreational use and retail sale of cannabis after Gov. Ned Lamont signed a legalization bill into law Tuesday afternoon.
With the Governor’s signature on the bill state legislators passed last week, possession of cannabis for non-medical purposes will become legal July 1, with retail sales set to begin next year.
“I think it is a model for the rest of the nation,” Lamont said of the bill, touting measures meant to ensure equitable access to the new cannabis market for communities affected by cannabis enforcement. “Maybe we weren’t the first, but we were the first, I think, to show that we could get it right.”
The bill, which is sponsored by Senate President Martin Looney and House Speaker Matt Ritter, passed the Senate and House of Representatives by margins of 16-11 and 76-62, respectively. The legislation legalizes marijuana possession of up to one-and-a-half ounces for adults 21 and over. The law will go into effect on July 1, 2021, with legal sales anticipated by May 2022. Adults will be allowed to securely cultivate cannabis at home starting July 1, 2023.Â
Connecticut will become the 19th state in the U.S., and the fourth state in New England to fully legalize the drug.Â
The bill envisions marijuana as a major industry in Connecticut, which already has four commercial growers of cannabis for medical use. Commercial production licenses for the recreational market would cost as much as $3 million, while the fee for a micro-cultivator would be $1,000.
