The House of Representatives in Connecticut only had a short period of time to pass the cannabis legalization bill SB 1118 before the regular session ended. However, the House Speaker Matt Ritter (D) pushed the bill to a special session as Republican lawmakers threatened to run the clock out.
This had been a concern among lawmakers as both Alabama and Nebraska both saw a filibuster surrounding cannabis legalization. Alabama overcame the filibuster, and Governor Ivey signed the medical cannabis bill shortly after receiving it. Nebraska wasn’t so lucky and their medical cannabis bill died after the filibuster.
“It’s one thing to have an honest, robust debate on a complicated topic,” Speaker Ritter said. “The concern of my caucus is, is it four or five people that never want to stop?”
To prevent a filibuster, he didn’t bring SB 1118 to the floor for debate. Speaker Ritter instead choose to push SB 1118 to a special session.
SB 1118
This most recent recreational cannabis bill comes after weeks of debate and discussion between lawmakers, like House Majority Leader Jason Rojas (D) and Governor Ned Lamont (D). They worked together to create a legalization bill more focused on social equity.
The previous legalization bill introduced by the governor, SB 888, saw opposition from Democratic lawmakers for it’s lack of social equity. The Democratic leaders openly said they didn’t support the measure. Governor Lamont advocated for recreational cannabis legalization back during his State of the State address earlier this year.
Under SB 1118, citizens 21 and over can purchase and possess up to one and a half ounces of recreational cannabis. There are also several social equity measures for local businesses. This is to help ensure the success of those who previously saw oppression by the war on drugs.
Special Session
There is no date set for the special session yet. But it will happen before the end of the fiscal year on June 30th. A few lawmakers spoke about their response to this now upcoming session for recreational cannabis legalization.
“I know they’re concerned about how late the bill came out. I guess I would share my concern about how late they chose to come to the table,” House Majority Leader Rojas said. “I’m still willing to listen and consider some of the changes they might make. I don’t know that we would amend the bill necessarily, but we’d find another vehicle to potentially accommodate some of the requests.”
Another advocate group, Marijuana Policy Project (MPP), released a statement about the news of a special session in Connecticut. The group is “encouraged that legislative leadership is committed to getting the bill done. While we’d hoped the bill would pass the finish line during the regular session, voting a few days later will in no way delay legalization. Legal possession will start on July 1st whether the bill passes today or a little later.”
If recreational cannabis becomes passed in this special session in Connecticut, it would be the third state to legalize recreational cannabis through a special session this year. Other states includes New Mexico and Virginia. “We’re glad legislatures are recognizing that this long overdue reform is worth working overtime to get done and get done right,” MPP concluded.
Future
Since the regular session ended and SB 1118 didn’t get a vote in the House, it’s now dead. In the special session, a bill must be reintroduced and pass through both chambers before moving to the governor’s desk. Any changes to SB 1118 will be handled by House Majority Leader Rojas. However, changes aren’t expected until the bill is introduced.
If recreational cannabis legalization doesn’t pass before June 30th, Governor Lamont said he would move it the ballot. In a recent poll by Sacred Heart University, 64 percent of voters approve of recreational cannabis legalization.
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