Bob Godfrey

Possession of cannabis – marijuana - by adults age 21 and older became legal in Connecticut July 1, 2021. Criminal laws prohibiting possession have been repealed. Adults (21 and older) can have up to 1.5 ounces of cannabis on their person, and up to 5 ounces stored in their homes or locked in their car or truck.

Governor Lamont signed the act on Tuesday, June 22, 2021. SB1201 (also known as Special Session Public Act 21-1) passed the General Assembly with my support, and 64 % of the people of Connecticut. It is a comprehensive plan with careful regulation over a significant time span. Retail sales won't start until the summer of 2022. Home growing won't be allowed before July 1, 2023.

I want to tell you what the new law does in a series of e-mails, because there are some noteworthy layers of the law that both proponents and opponents should be clear on and understand.

Today, I’ll focus on what the legislation does with respect to one of the key drivers of our actions: equity.

The War on Drugs has devastated communities, and primarily communities of color. In this new law, we ensure revenue and policies dedicated to righting wrongs through funding, criminal justice reforms, and economic opportunities.

Under the act, individuals with past convictions for cannabis offenses may either have those convictions automatically erased or petition for erasure. It applies to convictions related to possession of less than 4 oz. of marijuana for offenses occurring between 2015 – 2021, and it erases convictions related to possession of any amount of marijuana for offenses occurring between 2000-2015.

A Social Equity Council will manage the aspects of the bill's equity program. It will be appointed by legislative leadership, Governor Lamont, and Connecticut State Treasurer Shawn T. Wooden

The Council will:

• Create programs for incubating cannabis businesses, and training an equitable cannabis workforce
• Conduct a social equity study to evaluate the approach in the bill and determine any further steps that would promote equity, and make recommendations to the General Assembly and the Governor before the next legislative session based on the conclusions of this study
• Create a cannabis workforce training program to help people in disproportionately affected communities get access to cannabis employment and to ensure a pool of available employees for cannabis businesses
• Annually certify a map delineating disproportionately impacted areas, defined as those with a high historic of convictions for drug crimes or a current high unemployment rate

I read recently that the ‘War on Drugs' was designed by the Nixon administration to "put hippies and blacks in jail." It wasn’t only about public safety, or public health. We learned from the prohibition of alcohol a century ago that prohibition didn't work.

Hippies are history, but for far too long, for too many generations, far too many Blacks have had their lives ruined by this 'policy.' That was wrong. It is time to make things right.