Still a close vote: Lawmakers outline two paths to recreational cannabis in Connecticut

On the campus of a medical marijuana grower in Rocky Hill, state lawmakers on Tuesday outlined two possible paths to legalizing recreational marijuana, which has eluded Connecticut for years while neighboring states have passed it.

The first — voting on a bill in the legislature — would be the quickest route, though there is still strong opposition from lawmakers on both sides. Legalization measures have failed repeatedly over the past five years, but momentum may be on the side of Democrats, who now hold larger majorities in both chambers than in recent years.

The second possibility would be a constitutional amendment and that’s also on the table, said incoming House Speaker Matt Ritter, D-Hartford, who one week ago gave legal weed a 50-50 chance of passing in 2021.

“I think it’ll be a very, very close vote in the House,” Ritter said. “But if we do not have the votes — and I’m not raising the white flag — I want to be very clear: we will put something on the board to put to the voters of the state of Connecticut to amend the state constitution to legalize marijuana.” [Read more at Hartford Courant]