Recreational marijuana possession and use are now legal in Connecticut. Adults 21 and older can now possess up to 1.5 ounces on their person and 5 ounces in their home or locked vehicle. Additionally, existing criminal records for those convicted of possession of up to 4 ounces of marijuana will be erased.
A state law that took effect July 1 makes Connecticut the 18th state to approve legalization of recreational marijuana. Connecticut residents will be allowed to grow their own marijuana beginning on July 2, 2023, with a cap of six plants per person and 12 plants per home. People who currently have a medical marijuana card can begin growing their six plants at home beginning on October 1 of this year.
Retail sales are expected to start in late 2022, giving state leaders time to define and regulate how the legal marijuana market should work and giving local leaders time to decide whether they want to block sales in their towns. Municipalities can ban retail sales through zoning and can regulate how marijuana is used in public, much as they presently can with cigarettes.
Legalization opens up a potentially significant source of tax revenue for local and state governments. Retail sales will be subject to a 3 percent tax in the city where the sale occurred, the usual 6.35 percent state sales tax and an additional tax based on the THC content of the marijuana sold. “We’re not only effectively modernizing our laws and addressing inequities, we’re keeping Connecticut economically competitive,” Governor Ned Lamont said in signing the law in June.
The law also establishes a Social Equity Council, which is charged with figuring out how to address the racial, social and economic injustices produced by the war on drugs. “For decades, the war on cannabis caused injustices and created disparities while doing little to protect public health and safety,” Lamont said.
Half of all licenses to cultivate, package, transport and market recreational marijuana will be reserved for applicants residing in areas of the state identified by the new council as having been disproportionately impacted by the war on drugs. By January 1, the council is expected to give recommendations on how to ensure that the legal marijuana industry is equitable to all, including historically disadvantaged communities.
Legalized marijuana will have an impact beyond criminal law enforcement. It will, for example, affect employment and labor law. Employers will have to revamp and republish their policies on drug use. Workers covered by federal safety regulations, such as those in the manufacturing and transportation industries, will have to be screened for drug and alcohol use and might be disciplined or fired for infractions. For most types of work in most lines of business, workers cannot be penalized for carrying cannabis products in amounts permitted by law. But an employer could take action against an employee based on reasonable suspicion of cannabis use on the job or the manifestation of symptoms of drug impairment.
If you have questions about Connecticut’s new marijuana law or have a conviction on your record that you believe should be erased, the team at Gesmonde, Pietrosimone & Sgrignari, L.L.C. is here to help. Please call 203-745-0942 or contact us online to arrange an attorney consultation in Hamden or East Haven.
Gesmonde, Pietrosimone & Sgrignari, L.L.C. is located in Hamden, CT and serves clients in and around North Haven, Hamden, Waterbury, Bethany, Milford, Wallingford, Prospect, Woodbridge, Northford, Madison, Beacon Falls, Branford, Cheshire, North Branford, East Haven, Naugatuck, Meriden, Ansonia and New Haven County.
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