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You are here: Home / Archives for ‘front for legalization’

Connecticut Governor Lamont Signs Bill Legalizing and Safely Regulating Adult-Use Cannabis

June 22, 2021 by MJ News Network 2 Comments

CONNECTICUT:  Governor Ned Lamont this afternoon signed into law legislation that legalizes and safely regulates the adult-use of cannabis in Connecticut. The legislation contains comprehensive reforms that address many 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,” Governor Lamont said. “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. The states surrounding us already, or soon will, have legal adult-use markets. By allowing adults to possess cannabis, regulating its sale and content, training police officers in the latest techniques of detecting and preventing impaired driving, and expunging the criminal records of people with certain cannabis crimes, we’re not only effectively modernizing our laws and addressing inequities, we’re keeping Connecticut economically competitive. This legislation directs significant new funding to prevention and recovery services, which will be used to help prevent cannabis use by minors and to promote safe, healthy use of cannabis by those of legal age.

“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. By signing this into law today, we are helping our state move beyond this terrible period of incarceration and injustice.” 

The legislation Governor Lamont signed today is Senate Bill 1201. A proposal to legalize adult-use cannabis was initially put forward by Governor Lamont to the General Assembly earlier this year as Senate Bill 888. He also proposed similar legislation in February 2020 as Senate Bill 16.

Key components of the new law include:

  • Possession: Possession of cannabis among adults age 21 and over will be legal in Connecticut beginning July 1, 2021. 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 truck or glove box.
  • Retail sales: Retail sales of cannabis aim to begin in Connecticut by the end of 2022. The sale, manufacture, and cultivation of cannabis (aside from home grow) requires a license from the state. Products that contain delta-8-THC, delta-9-THC, or delta-10-THC are considered cannabis and may only be sold by licensed retailers. Individuals who are not licensed by the state may gift cannabis to others but may not sell it. Individuals may not gift cannabis to another individual who has “paid” or “donated” for another product.
  • Homegrown: Patients who are participating in Connecticut’s medical marijuana program will be permitted to cultivate up to six cannabis plants (three mature, three immature) indoors within their homes beginning October 1, 2021. All adults age 21 and over will be permitted to grow a similar number of plants indoors within their homes beginning July 1, 2023. The law includes requirements to keep the plants secure from anyone else. Home grow of up to six cannabis plants is defelonized beginning July 1, 2021, and instead will result in infractions.
  • Erases prior convictions: Certain cannabis-related convictions that occurred between January 1, 2000 and October 1, 2015 will be automatically erased. Those seeking to erase cannabis-related convictions outside of that period will require petitioning.
  • Equity and investments: To start the necessary work of repairing the damage caused by decades of failed cannabis criminalization policies, the law implements equitable marketplace requirements under which at least half of all initial licenses are reserved for social equity applicants, targeting those communities that have been most negatively impacted by the so-called war on drugs. The Social Equity Council, which is created by this legislation, will launch a programs and supports for social equity applicants in the cannabis market.
  • Tax structure: The law enacts a tax rate structure on the retail sale of cannabis that includes a new source of revenue for municipalities. This includes (1) a 3% municipal sales tax, which will be directed to the town or city where the retail sale occurred; (2) the 6.35% state sales tax; and (3) a tax based on the THC content of the product, which will be 2.75 cents per milligram of THC for cannabis edibles; 0.625 cents per milligram of THC for cannabis flower; and 0.9 cents per milligram of THC for all other product types. This means that Connecticut generally will have about a 4% lower tax rate than New York and about the same as Massachusetts.
  • Revenue to support economic opportunities in targeted communities: Portions of the revenue obtained from retail sales of cannabis will be directed to communities that have been most negatively impacted by the war on drugs through the creation of the Social Equity and Innovation Fund. Funding from this account will be appropriated for use by the Social Equity Council to provide business capital, technical assistance for business start-ups and operations, workforce education, and community investments. These investments will not be limited to the cannabis market.
  • Revenue to support substance misuse prevention and recovery services: Portions of the revenue obtained from retail sales of cannabis will be directed to support substance misuse prevention, treatment, and recovery services through the creation of the Prevention and Recovery Services Fund. Connecticut’s health agencies, including the Department of Public Health, Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services, and Department of Children and Families will launch new programs and initiatives regarding prevention, treatment, and recovery in regard to cannabis.
  • Preventing underage use: This legislation adapts the state’s strong framework regarding preventing access to alcohol by minors in the context of cannabis. For example, it will be a Class A misdemeanor to sell or provide cannabis to a person under 21 years old. In addition, an individual allowing someone under 21 years old to loiter at a cannabis store will receive a $1,000 fine on the first offense with subsequent offenses as a Class B misdemeanor. It will be a Class D misdemeanor for a person under the age of 21 to lie about their age or use a fake ID in an attempt to buy cannabis. Delivery services will be required to use online ID and age verification.
  • Enforcement of safe driving: This law significantly strengthens Connecticut’s impaired driving statutes by requiring police to be trained in Advanced Roadside Impaired Driving Enforcement (ARIDE) and allows for Drug Recognition Expert (DRE) evaluations to result in license suspensions. This means that drivers who are impaired on any substance, whether cannabis or otherwise, will be more quickly taken off the roads.
  • Advertising: This law implements strong standards for advertising that exceed those for the tobacco and alcohol industries. All cannabis-related advertising will be banned on television, radio, internet, print, and billboards unless the advertiser has reliable evidence that more than 90% of the audience reached by the advertising is at least 21 years of age or older. Advertising of cannabis is restricted within 500 feet of a school. The advertising restrictions apply to all cannabis advertising, whether or not the advertiser is a state licensee.
  • Safe products: This legislation imposes strong requirements for product safety. Products will have to be lab tested and will have strict packaging and labeling standards. Edible cannabis products are limited to 5 milligrams of THC per serving, and most other products are subject to a potency cap. Products will be in child-safe packaging, and product types that appeal to children are banned.
  • Municipalities and zoning: Local officials will play an important role in the implementation of cannabis legalization. For example, local officials can control the number and locations of cannabis retailers through zoning. Municipalities can also determine where smoked or vaped cannabis can be consumed (e.g. in city parks or beaches, or on sidewalks or streets).
  • Employment: 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. As such, employers in certain industries, such as manufacturing and healthcare, are considered “exempt” from the employment provisions of this law. The law allows employers to take adverse actions against employees who are impaired at work. The law says that nonexempt employers may not prohibit the off-work use of cannabis or take adverse action against an employee or a potential employee for a positive THC test unless such employer has adopted employment policies stipulating as such. Generally, an employer may not take adverse action against an employee or potential employee for use of cannabis prior to applying for or working at such employer.
  • Medical marijuana program: The law protects Connecticut’s nation-leading medical marijuana program in many ways. For example, producers and dispensaries that currently operate in the medical marijuana program may expand or convert their licenses for adult-use cannabis, but they must prioritize serving the medical program. Medical marijuana users will soon be able to purchase medical marijuana from any dispensary rather than simply the one to which they are assigned.
  • State parks and beaches: Cannabis use is prohibited in state parks, state beaches, and on state waters.

 

Filed Under: Homepage, Legal Tagged With: 'front for legalization', Connecticut, Connecticut Governor Lamont, CT, end failed war on drugs, legalization, MJ Legal News, mjnews, MJNews Network

New York: Cuomo Administration To Back Adult Use Marijuana Bill

November 23, 2018 by MJ News Network Leave a Comment

NEW YORK: A spokesperson for Gov. Andrew Cuomo says that creating a framework for legalizing adult marijuana use is among the administration’s 2019 legislative priorities.

“The goal of this administration is to create a model program for regulated adult-use marijuana – and we determined the best way to do that was to ensure our final proposal captures the views of everyday New Yorkers,” said Tyrone Stevens, a spokesperson for the Governor. “Now that the listening sessions have concluded, the working group has begun accessing and reviewing the feedback we received and we expect to introduce a formal comprehensive proposal during the 2019 legislative session.”

In July, a Health Department study commissioned by the Governor’s office recommended legalizing adult marijuana use and commerce. It concluded: “A regulated marijuana program enjoys broad support and would have significant health, social justice, and economic benefits. … Regulating marijuana enables public health officials to minimize the potential risks of marijuana use through outreach, education, quantity limits at point of sale, quality control, and consumer protection. … The positive effects of a regulated marijuana market in New York State outweigh the potential negative impacts.”


For more information, contact Justin Strekal, NORML Political Director, at (202) 483-5500 or visit Empire State NORML.

Filed Under: Homepage, Legal Tagged With: 'front for legalization', adult use, Albany, changing attitudes, Governor Cuomo, mjlegal, mjnews, New York, NY, politicians on pot, politics of pot

Massachusetts State Senators In Colorado To Study Marijuana

January 11, 2016 by MJ News Network Leave a Comment

MASSACHUSETTS: Eight state senators are flying into Colorado this week for a primer on life in a state that has already legalized marijuana, in case Massachusetts voters follow suit this November and lawmakers have to decide quickly how to respond.

They’re poised to see a cultivation facility, tour a marijuana dispensary, and pepper top state, municipal, and law-enforcement officials with questions about the implementation of the voter-approved law. The four-day trip is being arranged and paid for by the New York-based Milbank Memorial Fund, which describes itself as a nonpartisan health policy foundation.

While lawmakers regularly travel to educate themselves about issues of public import, the context for the Colorado trip makes it unusual: Beacon Hill leaders have made clear there is not the political interest or will to pass a legalization bill, but they have floated the idea of tinkering with a legalization law, if it garners sufficient signatures to make the statewide ballot and if voters approve it.

Filed Under: Homepage, Politics Tagged With: 'front for legalization', "Canna Business and the Law", 2015 medical marijuana, changing attitudes, CO, Colorado and Massacusetts, end failed war on drugs, MA, Mass, mmj, politicians on pot, politics of pot, Senators and cannnabis

Medical Marijuana May Go The Way Of Alcohol In Michigan Senate

December 8, 2015 by dberry 1 Comment

MICHIGAN: Michigan would create a tiered system for medical marijuana growers, distributors and retailers under evolving legislation up for a likely vote Tuesday in the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Sen. Rick Jones, R-Grand Ledge, said Monday medical pot bills approved by the House earlier this year will be amended in his committee to prevent an owner from being licensed to operate multiple types of medical marijuana businesses.

The state regulates alcohol in a similar, three-tiered fashion.

Filed Under: Homepage, Legal, Medical Marijuana Tagged With: 'front for legalization', marijuana and alcohol, medical marijuana, MI, Michigan, Michigan medical marijuana dispensary, Michigan mmj, mmj, the politics of pot

Legal Marijuana Stirs Hope In Illinois Town

October 4, 2015 by MJ News Network Leave a Comment

ILLINOIS: A skunky aroma fills the room in which hundreds of lush marijuana plants grow, some nearly ready for harvest.

Grower Ashley Thompson, a former high school agriculture teacher in this rural part of southeastern Illinois, takes the scent of weed home with her.

She doesn’t mind. It’s the fragrance of money and jobs.

“My family says I smell,” said Thompson, who quit the classroom to work for Ataraxia, one of a handful of cultivation centers in Illinois, which is one of 23 states with medical marijuana. “I can’t tell though.”

The Associated Press recently gained an exclusive look at Illinois’ first legal marijuana crop, and the new farmland ritual beginning amid surrounding cornfields in the historic town of Albion: the harvest of medical marijuana that will soon be sold in dispensaries around the state.

 

Filed Under: Homepage, Legal, Medical Marijuana Tagged With: 'front for legalization', cannabis and cornfields, end failed federal prohibition, end failed war on drugs, IL, Illinois, Illinois medical marijuana, midwest marijuana farm

Say Hello To The UK’s First Cannabis Pharmacy

May 17, 2015 by MJ News Network Leave a Comment

UNITED KINGDOM: The UK’s first ever cannabis pharmacy is set to open its doors this week.

Don’t be too quick to delete your dealer’s number however – the pharmacy sells health and beauty products, none of which can get you high.

Carun UK, which will be based in Twickenham, London, aims to ‘harness the healing super-powers of hemp’ which is claims is the ‘ultimate skin saviour and well-being booster’.

Michal Takac, Carun’s UK Managing Director said they use compounds grown on a specially cultivated species of Cannabis sativa called Carmagnola.

Filed Under: Business, Dispensaries, Homepage Tagged With: 'front for legalization', cannabis pharmacy, dispensary, end failed war on drugs, medical marijuana, mmj, UK, United Kingdom

USVI Senator “Positive” Nelson To Meet With Washington Marijuana Business Leaders April 14th @ Green Lion Farms

April 2, 2015 by MJ News Network 5 Comments

WASHINGTON: Senator Terrence “Positive” Nelson and a delegation of pro-pot politicians on a fact-finding mission from the U.S. Virgin Islands will be visiting Washington next week and meeting with Washington’s legal cannabis business community leaders, as part of the Senator’s efforts to legalize and implement a Medicinal Marijuana industry in the USVI.

While in Seattle, Senator Nelson will be the guest of honor at a “High Tea” event, presented and hosted at the SODO headquarters of Green Lion Farms, a licensed cannabis producer/processors,  and attended by leading members of Washington’s legal cannabis business community.

“The success of Washington’s Marijuana industry is very commendable and one to be imitated. Recognizing this, a delegation from the U.S. Virgin Islands will be making an exploratory trip, with the sole purpose of meeting with business owners/participants in the industry and government officials, to gather information and discuss the strategies that could assist the USVI in duplicating Washington’s success with the transition of legalizing and implementing this industry,” the Senator told MJ News Network.

The Marijuana Business Association (MJBA)  is a co-sponsor of the prestigious gathering, and MJBA CEO David Rheins has volunteered to act as emcee. High Tea takes place on Tuesday, April 14th, 3:00 PM to 6:00 PM (PDT). Tickets are $150 and available via Eventbrite.

Filed Under: Events, Homepage Tagged With: 'front for legalization', 2015, April 14, changing attitudes, Eastern Washington, end failed war on drugs, GLF, Green Lion Farms, High Tea, legalization, Marijuana Business Association, mjba, seattle, Senator "Positive" Nelson, the business of marijuana, United States Virgin Islands, USVI, WA

Do 76 Percent Of Doctors Support The Use Of Medical Marijuana? PolitiFact Oregon

July 22, 2014 by MJ News Network Leave a Comment

OREGON: An initiative proposing to legalize recreational marijuana in Oregon appears headed for the November ballot.

Signature verification by the Oregon Secretary of State’s office is continuing, but an extraordinary number of the more than 146,700 signatures gathered by New Approach Oregon would need to be tossed out for the group to fail to reach the 87,213 names needed.

The pro-pot group, on its Facebook page, recently posted a statistic indicating that physicians back the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes.

“Did you know…76 percent of doctors support the use of medical marijuana,” reads the claim.

Is the figure really that high? PolitiFact Oregon checked it out. Find out how we ruled in “Do 76 percent of doctors support the use of medical marijuana?”

Filed Under: Homepage, Medical Tagged With: 'front for legalization', decriminalization, doctors and medical marijuana, marijuana and MDs, medical marijuana, OR, Oregon, PolitiFact Oregon

NJ Gov Christie Says Medical Marijuana Programs Are ‘Front For Legalization’

June 19, 2014 by MJ News Network 2 Comments

NEW JERSEY: Following reports that New Jersey’s medical marijuana program is suffering from low enrollment, Gov. Chris Christie called the program and similar programs across the U.S. “a front for legalization.”

New Jersey passed its medical marijuana law in 2009, and former Gov. Jon Corzine, a Democrat, signed it just before Christie, a Republican, took office. The first dispensary opened in December 2012, with predictions that the drug could help tens of thousands of patients in the state with severe or painful illnesses.

But The Star-Ledger reported on Sunday that only 2,342 patients have signed up for the program.

And last week, the president and chief executive of Compassionate Care Foundation, Inc. of Egg Harbor Township — one of the state’s three medical marijuana dispensaries — announced he had quit because he couldn’t keep working for no pay in a struggling industry.

Christie said it’s clear there is not a demand for medical pot.

Filed Under: Politics Tagged With: 'front for legalization', Chris Christie, Compassionate Care Foundation, end of failed war on drugs, legalization, medical marijuana, New Jersey, NJ, NJ medical marijuana, politicians on pot

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