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Cannabis in Connecticut is legal for recreational use since July 1, 2021. Medical use was legalized through legislation passed in 2012.
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| Cannabis |
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Cannabis in Connecticut is legal for recreational use since July 1, 2021. Medical use was legalized through legislation passed in 2012.
In June 2011, Governor Dannel Malloy signed legislation that decriminalized cannabis possession. This followed a close vote in the Senate and 90–57 vote in the House. Governor Malloy stated:
"Let me make it clear - we are not legalizing the use of marijuana. In modifying this law, we are recognizing that the punishment should fit the crime, and acknowledging the effects of its application. There is no question that the state’s criminal justice resources could be more effectively utilized for convicting, incarcerating and supervising violent and more serious offenders." [1]
In June 2012, Governor Malloy signed into law a medical marijuana program for his state, following a 21–13 vote in the Senate. [2] [3] [4]
In April 2018, a recreational marijuana bill was approved to be sent to the General Assembly in a 27–24 vote. The plan was to be sent to the General Assembly in October 2018, [5] though the effort ultimately stalled. [6] All told, three separate bills were proposed but not approved. In March 2020, Governor Ned Lamont proposed a bill that had legislative support, only for the state government to shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic two weeks later. [7]
Efforts to legalize recreational marijuana renewed in 2021, with Lamont vowing to make a push for legalization that would enable sales to begin in May 2022. [8] A bill by Lamont narrowly passed the state Judiciary Committee by a 22–16 vote on April 6, [9] [10] and another competing bill, praised by the legislature's progressives, had cleared the legislature's Labor and Public Employees Committee in a 9–4 vote just days earlier on March 25. [11] [12] On April 14, several Democratic legislators, including president pro tempore Martin Looney, said they would vote against the measure passed by the Judiciary, stating they were concerned about a lack of provisions for social equity within the bill. [13]
On June 22, 2021, Governor Lamont signed Senate Bill 1201 that legalized recreational cannabis. It states that possession of cannabis among adults age 21 and over will be legal in Connecticut beginning July 1, 2021. Adults cannot have more than 1+1⁄2 ounces (43 g) of cannabis on their person, and no more than 5 ounces (140 g) in their homes or locked in their car trunk or glove box. 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. All adults age 21 and over will be permitted to grow six cannabis plants indoors within their homes beginning July 1, 2023. [14]
Outdoor cannabis cultivation remains a felony. [15]
From January 1, 2023 thousands of low-level cannabis criminal records will be automatically "expunged or cleared" - with a new scheme implemented by the Governor of Connecticut. [16]
Edward Miner Lamont Jr. is an American businessman and politician serving since January 2019 as the 89th governor of Connecticut. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as a Greenwich selectman from 1987 to 1989 and was the party's nominee for the United States Senate in 2006, losing to incumbent Joe Lieberman.
Dannel Patrick Malloy is an American politician who served as the 88th governor of Connecticut from 2011 to 2019. A member of the Democratic Party, he chaired the Democratic Governors Association from 2016 to 2017. In July 2019, he began his tenure as the Chancellor of the University of Maine System.
In Colorado, cannabis has been legal for medical use since 2000 and for recreational use since late 2012. On November 7, 2000, 54% of Colorado voters approved Amendment 20, which amended the State Constitution to allow the use of marijuana in the state for approved patients with written medical consent. Under this law, patients may possess up to 2 ounces (57 g) of medical marijuana and may cultivate no more than six marijuana plants. Patients who were caught with more than this in their possession could argue "affirmative defense of medical necessity" but were not protected under state law with the rights of those who stayed within the guidelines set forth by the state. The Colorado Amendment 64, which was passed by voters on November 6, 2012, led to recreational legalization in December 2012 and state-licensed retail sales in January 2014. The policy has led to cannabis tourism. There are two sets of policies in Colorado relating to cannabis use: those for medicinal cannabis and for recreational drug use along with a third set of rules governing hemp.
In the United States, cannabis is legal in 38 of 50 states for medical use and 24 states for recreational use. At the federal level, cannabis is classified as a Schedule I drug under the Controlled Substances Act, determined to have a high potential for abuse and no accepted medical use, prohibiting its use for any purpose. Despite this prohibition, federal law is generally not enforced against the possession, cultivation, or intrastate distribution of cannabis in states where such activity has been legalized. On May 1, 2024, the Associated Press reported on plans by the Drug Enforcement Administration to move marijuana to the less-restrictive Schedule III.
The legal history of cannabis in the United States began with state-level prohibition in the early 20th century, with the first major federal limitations occurring in 1937. Starting with Oregon in 1973, individual states began to liberalize cannabis laws through decriminalization. In 1996, California became the first state to legalize medical cannabis, sparking a trend that spread to a majority of states by 2016. In 2012, Washington and Colorado became the first states to legalize cannabis for recreational use.
Cannabis in Vermont as of May 2004 is legal for medical use, and legal for recreational use as of July 1, 2018.
Cannabis in Wisconsin is illegal for recreational use. Possession of any amount is punishable by up to 6 months in prison and a $1000 fine for a first offense. A second offense is punished as a felony with up to 3.5 years in prison and up to a $10,000 fine. At the local level, however, numerous municipalities and counties have decriminalized cannabis or lessened penalties for minor possession offenses. Medical use is legal only in the form of low-THC cannabis oil.
Cannabis in Idaho is fully illegal for any use, whether recreational or medical. The laws on cannabis prohibition in Idaho are among the most severe in the United States, with possession of even small amounts of it a misdemeanor crime, and no legality of medical marijuana. As of 2018, support for the legalization of medical cannabis is broadly popular in the state, while legalization of the drug recreationally remains a wedge issue. Both the state's legislature as a whole and its governor, Brad Little, remain staunchly opposed to its legalization for medicinal or recreational purposes.
Cannabis in Virginia is legal for medical use and recreational use. The first medical marijuana dispensary opened in August 2020, and adult recreational use became legalized in July 2021.
Cannabis in Nevada became legal for recreational use on January 1, 2017, following the passage of Question 2 on the 2016 ballot with 54% of the vote. The first licensed sales of recreational cannabis began on July 1, 2017.
Cannabis in Texas is illegal for recreational use. Possession of up to two ounces is a class B misdemeanor, punishable by up to 180 days in prison and a fine of up to $2000. Several of the state's major municipalities have enacted reforms to apply lesser penalties or limit enforcement, however.
Cannabis in New York has been legal for medical purposes under New York law since 2016, and recreational purposes since 2021. As of 2022, recreational cannabis is for sale legally in the state, only through state-approved dispensaries.
Cannabis in New Mexico is legal for recreational use as of June 29, 2021. A bill to legalize recreational use – House Bill 2, the Cannabis Regulation Act – was signed by Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham on April 12, 2021. The first licensed sales of recreational cannabis began on April 1, 2022.
Cannabis in New Jersey is legal for both medical use and recreational use. An amendment to the state constitution legalizing cannabis became effective on January 1, 2021, and enabling legislation and related bills were signed into law by governor Phil Murphy on February 22, 2021.
Cannabis in Delaware is legal for medicinal and recreational use.
