Below is a compiled list of Connecticut legislators who have expressed support toward the legalization and/or taxation of marijuana. If we missed any, please use let us know here.

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After much thought, I’ve considered the logistics and defined a layout for legislation legalizing marijuana in Connecticut.

• Legal Sale of Marijuana The state holds all legal marijuana products and sells to vendors through a Dutch auction system weekly on Saturdays beginning at 12:00 AM and ending at 11:59 PM. Products must be picked up by the buying vendor permittee, or by a state Marshall and delivered to the permittee, and paid for by check at the determined, centralized pickup location.
  1. Regulated Packaging – uniform markings to conceal grower identity and verify tax status, wrapped in plastic/approved wrapping (to partially addresses the smell issue that has plagued other states)
  2. Regulated Quantity – pre-rolled packs, a 70mm standard size, maximum limit THC amount
  3. Regulated Vendors – licensed liquor stores determined and vetted by the state
  4. Regulated Pricing – markups no greater than 10% of the price paid at auction
  5. Optional Municipality Participation
  6. Consumer Education – lists of state licensed vendors available to the public
• Illegal Sale of Marijuana All sales of marijuana that do not fall under the above criterion or that outlined in the Medical Marijuana Bill are defined as illegal sales of marijuana.
  1. Infractions – include but are not limited to, possession out of the household, consumption on public or nonprofit lands, possession or consumption in edible form
  2. Punishment – seizure and resale of product (whereas the state and municipality split the profits 50/50)
• Consequential Laws
  1. DUIs – similar to breathalyzers, drivers subject to mouth swabs which detect recent inhalation
  2. Second-Hand Smoke – blowing smoke into someone else’s face is a Class A Misdemeanor
  3. Top Tax Bracket Reduction – from 6.99% to 6.94% (new forms of revenue reduces the dependence on other sources)
  4. Police Liability Decrease – $1,000 cap in any lawsuit regarding mace, assuming officers feel the need to be further protected
  5. Minimum Liquor Pricing Abolishment – adding Marijuana products will soften the blow for liquor stores
• This statute becomes effective July 1, 2017.

When I wrote this opinion piece in the New Haven Register about generating revenue in Connecticut (via marijuana legalization, highway tolls, and more), some assumed I was in support of the “tax-and-spend” policy. On the contrary, I propose a more pragmatic, tax-then-cut approach.  The taxing structure in all states will change drastically over the next few years; driven primarily by the absence of interstate collections and the presence of income tax-free states such as Florida and Tennessee. By addressing Connecticut’s economy with a tax and cut perspective, we can rescue our state from its steady decline.