Connecticut House Appropriations Committee Approves Cannabis Legalization Bill
Clifford Robinson is a very proud member of the Connecticut Coalition to Regulate Marijuana which has been working to make cannabis legalization a reality in Connecticut. Robinson played college basketball at the University of Connecticut from 1985-1989 and is a member of UConn’s Men’s Basketball All-Century Team.
The Uncle Cliffy team is happy to announce that a cannabis legalization bill was approved by a committee in Connecticut’s Legislature today. More information about today’s victory can be found below via a press release issued by the Marijuana Policy Project:
The Joint Committee on Appropriations approved a bill that would legalize and regulate marijuana for adults in Connecticut on Thursday, potentially setting it up for floor consideration before the end of this year’s legislative session.
HB 5394, which was introduced by the committee, would task the commissioners of Mental Health and Addiction Services and Consumer Protection and Revenue Services with developing regulations for possession and retail sales of marijuana for adults 21 and older. More details will be added to the bill as it moves forward over the coming weeks.
“This committee vote reiterates what most Connecticut residents already know: it is time to make marijuana legal for adults,” said Becky Dansky, legislative counsel for the Marijuana Policy Project. “The discussions that have taken place in the legislature this year have provided more than enough information to effectively move forward with legalization. Connecticut should stop punishing adults for using a substance that is safer than alcohol, and it has an opportunity to regulate marijuana before it starts losing tax revenue to other states in the region that have already started this process.”
There are nine states that have made marijuana legal for adults, as well as the District of Columbia. Neighboring Massachusetts is in the process of implementing its regulated marijuana market, and in nearby New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy has made legalizing and regulating marijuana a priority this year.
A poll conducted by Sacred Heart University in October 2017 showed that 71% of Connecticut residents support regulating and taxing marijuana for adults.
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The Connecticut Coalition to Regulate Marijuana is a coalition of citizens, organizations, and community leaders working to end marijuana prohibition in Connecticut and replace it with a system in which marijuana is regulated and taxed similarly to alcohol. For more information, visit https://www.RegulateCT.org.
Cannabis Regulation Needs To Be Included In Connecticut’s Budget
Earlier this year Clifford Robinson joined a coalition that is seeking to end cannabis prohibition in Connecticut. Having played at the University of Connecticut from 1985-1989, Cliff has always had a special place in his heart for the state of Connecticut. During his college experience Cliff saw the harms of Connecticut cannabis prohibition firsthand, and has always advocated for a more sensible approach to cannabis policy in the state.
Lawmakers in Connecticut are currently in the midst of crafting the state’s next budget, which provides for an opportunity for cannabis legalization and regulation to be included in it. That is something that the Uncle Cliffy team absolutely supports, and is encouraging others to support too. Below is an action alert from the Connecticut Coalition to Regulate Marijuana which is leading the legalization effort in the state. If you are a Connecticut resident, please participate in the action alert and encourage others to do the same:
As fall approaches, Connecticut lawmakers are still struggling to reach a budget compromise. In May, both House and Senate Democrats released a budget proposal that included the regulating and taxing of marijuana, acknowledging that regulating marijuana like alcohol is a necessary part of a responsible budget solution. However, subsequent House Democratic budgets omitted marijuana legalization. Currently, cities and towns across Connecticut are facing devastating cuts that will result in widespread property tax increases for most residents. Taxing and regulating marijuana like alcohol could avert local property tax increases and bring new revenue to the table.
Call your representatives, and let him or her know you want marijuana regulation included in the budget! Our action page makes it fast and easy — providing the lawmaker’s phone number and name, in addition to talking points.
Or, if you aren’t able to make a call, write your lawmakers a quick letter.
Let your lawmakers know 63% of Connecticut residents support legalization, not just because it will generate needed tax revenue, but also because regulation would have public health and safety benefits.
Elected officials are facing many tough choices during the budget debate. It is vital they hear from constituents who support marijuana regulation as the right choice for Connecticut.
Please take a few minutes to write or call your legislator, and share our posts on Facebook and Twitter to encourage your friends to make calls, too.
Thanks,
Sam Tracy
Director
CT Coalition to Regulate Marijuana
Cliff Robinson Joins The Connecticut Coalition To Regulate Marijuana
Cliff Robinson played on the University of Connecticut (UConn) men’s basketball team from 1985-1989, and led the Huskies to a NIT Championship in 1988. Robinson was named to the 1988 NIT All-Tournament team. Robinson was later selected to UConn’s ‘All-Century Men’s Basketball team,’ and had his college number (’00’) retired at Gampel Pavilion in 2007. Cliff Robinson is proud to be a Husky, and will always have a special place in his heart for the State of Connecticut.
Connecticut is a beautiful state that unfortunately has a cannabis prohibition problem. Other states in the region have voted to end cannabis prohibition already (Maine and Massachusetts), along with Washington D.C.. Vermont is on the verge of legalizing cannabis via legislative action, with a legalization bill sitting on the Governor’s desk awaiting his signature. Other states in the region such as Rhode Island and Delaware are taking a serious look at the idea of getting on the right side of history when it comes to cannabis policy.
Unlike other states that have legalized cannabis via a citizen initiative process, the only way to end cannabis prohibition in Connecticut is via the legislative process. An effort is underway in Connecticut, known as the Connecticut Coalition to Regulate Marijuana, which is calling for the Connecticut Legislature to end cannabis prohibition in the state. Such a move would be supported by Connecticut voters according to polling. A 2015 survey by Quinnipiac University found that 63% of Connecticut voters support legalization, with only 34% opposed.
Cliff Robinson has joined the Connecticut Coalition to Regulate Marijuana because it is a sensible move that would not only generate tax dollars and jobs in Connecticut, it would also help put an end to the social justice issues that come along with prohibition. Issues such as racial profiling and selective enforcement of prohibition laws, which result in disproportionate arrest rates for in minority and low income communities. Cannabis is 114 times safer than alcohol, and should be regulated in a similar fashion. Just as regulation helps keep alcohol away from children, so too will regulating cannabis help achieve the same objective. Cannabis is not going away in Connecticut, and there is no need to let cartels and gangs control the market, not when there is a better way.
Colorado and Washington became the first states to legalize cannabis in 2012. Since that time both states have generated enormous sums of tax revenue from regulated adult-use cannabis sales. In 2016 alone the State of Colorado generated almost $200 million from cannabis taxes and fees, which is being used to fund all types of things from housing for the homeless, to schools, to addiction treatment programs. Washington State is predicted to generate an even larger amount of cannabis tax revenue in 2017 than Colorado. From a fiscal standpoint, and from a social justice standpoint, legalization is clearly working in both states.
Cliff Robinson is joined on the Connecticut Coalition to Regulate Marijuana by many other respected community leaders:
Robert Hoffman – Former Chief of Police in Plainfield, CT
David Bingham, MD – Physician (retired)
Gregory Adams, PhD – Chair of Sociology Department at Southern Connecticut State University
Jim Miron, JD – Former Mayor of Stratford, CT
Aaron Romano, JD – Criminal Defense Attorney; Former Prosecutor
Jeff Miron, PhD – Senior Lecturer and Director of Undergraduate Studies in the Department of Economics at Harvard University
Ryan Safner, PhD – Visiting Assistant Professor of Economics at Hood College; UConn graduate
Cliff Thornton – Founder of Efficacy; 2006 Green Party Candidate for Governor
Marla Ackerley – Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW)
Frank Mastri – Certified Addictions Counselor (CAC)
Kebra Smith-Bolden – Registered Nurse (RN)
Rev. Amanda Nelson – Clergy
Rev. Julia Burkey – Clergy
Rabbi Shaul Marshall Praver – Clergy
Rev. Hugh Haffenreffer – Clergy
Rev. Nichole Grant Yonkman – Clergy
Danielle Graham, JD – Attorney
Wildaliz Bermudez – Hartford City Councilwoman
A number of organizations and Connecticut media outlets have also endorsed the effort, with more being added all the time.
“I have seen the failures of cannabis prohibition in Connecticut firsthand. Cannabis prohibition disproportionately harms minority communities wherever prohibition exists, and Connecticut is no exception. The citizens of the great State of Connecticut deserve a better policy like the one that the Connecticut Coalition to Regulate Marijuana is proposing. Other states have made similar moves with great success. Legalization clearly works and it’s beyond time for the Connecticut Legislature to step up and do what is right.” said Cliff Robinson.
Connecticut is facing a hug budget deficit. Cannabis can’t fill the entire void, but it can definitely help, both in the form of taxes generated and via the savings that come from no longer enforcing a failed public policy. The Uncle Cliffy team encourages others to join the effort in Connecticut. Free the plant!