Lamont moves forward on marijuana plan

Governor seeking feedback on draft bill for tax rates

Gov. Ned Lamont is positioning lawmakers for a robust debate this year on legalizing and taxing the sale of marijuana for recreational use.

The administration has begun seeking agency feedback on a draft bill that would tax dry cannabis flowers at $1.25 per gram, trimmed marijuana plants at 50 cents per gram; and wet cannabis at 28 cents per gram. In addition to applying the standard sales tax of 6.35% to marijuana transactions, a 3% surcharge would be added and the revenue from this shared with municipalities.

The bill would also automatically erase convictions for possession of less than four ounces of cannabis that occurred prior to Oct. 1, 2015, and allow those convicted of this offense after that date to petition the state for erasure.

Lamont signaled during his Jan. 6 State of the State address that he was planning to pursue legalized marijuana as a source of new revenue for the state.

“I amworking with our neighboring states and look forward to working with our tribal partners on a path forward to modernize gaming in our state, as well as the legislature on legalization of marijuana,” Lamont said. “Sports betting, internet gaming, and legalized marijuana are happening all around us. Let’s not surrender these opportunities to out-of-state markets or even worse, underground markets.”

Max Reiss, the governor’s communications director, added Tuesday that “The administration is continuing to work toward that goal.”

But the draft bill does not guarantee Lamont will incorporate this in the two-year budget due to lawmakers next month, nor is it likely to represent the governor’s full plan. Lamont proposed a marijuana commercialization bill last year, but still opted to include no revenue from it in his budget. And draft bills routinely exclude provisions the admin