HARTFORD, Conn. — The Connecticut House of Representatives passes the bill that would legalize cannabis by a final vote of 76-62.
The bill is an earlier version after Gov. Ned Lamont threatened to veto a retooled rendition that cleared the state Senate.
Democratic House leaders decided to strip a contentious provision about “social equity” applicants for marijuana licenses, which was added to the bill at the eleventh hour in the Senate on Tuesday, in hopes of salvaging a bill lawmakers have been debating at the state Capitol for multiple years.
"This is a significant victory for Connecticut. This landmark legislation embraces a new source of revenue that will grow the economy, establishes substantial safety guards for the public, maintains a municipality's voice in deciding what kind of presence cannabis will have in their communities, helps curb the dangerous, unregulated market, and provides justice for those who have been harmed by this country’s failed war on drugs," said State Representative Raghib Allie-Brennan (D-Bethel).
"I think that we will regret this decision in the years to come. I think it's similar to what we're seeing in Colorado where they're trying to put that genie back in the bottle, I think Connecticut will go in that same direction," said House Minority Leader Vincent Candelora (R-North Branford).
The bill now heads back to the Senate. The Senate is expected to hold a special legislative session Thursday at 9:30 a.m.
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