Dems won’t back weed bill without equity
Key figures insist on provisions to include minority communities
HARTFORD — Several key Democratic legislators said flatly Wednesday that they will vote against legalizing marijuana unless the bill includes additional equity provisions for minority communities.
Sen. Doug McCrory of Hartford and Sen. Gary Winfield of New Haven said they agreed with Rep. Robyn Porter of New Haven that they are prepared to oppose the bill, which is among the most high-profile issues at the Capitol this year.
“Whatwe’ve been getting from the state is crumbs,” McCrory said. “The crumbs have to end. ... When the community is engaged, we get things done. We have learned how to survive. We have survived. We want to thrive.”
McCrory said his constituents want an ownership stake either in the marijuana industry, such as retail dispensaries, or other businesses, rather than low-wage jobs that are created by a rich employer from out of town in the marijuana-growing business.
“What does equity look like?” McCrory asked reporters. “You’re not going to have a situation where you own everything, and I work for you for $15 an hour. That’s not going to happen.”
The senators had gathered outside the state Capitol on Wednesday to decry the shooting deaths of a 3-year-old and a 16-year-old in Hartford last weekend. The news conference touched on various issues of crime and justice and segued into the marijuana legislation that is pending at the state Capitol. The bill passed recently by a 22-16 vote in the judiciary committee, but several top lawmakers have said that the odds are about 50-50 that the bill will pass the state House of Representatives and Senate this year after failing to gain enough support over the past five years.
Momentumhas been building with legalization in New York and New Jersey, but Connecticut’s future is still uncertain as
lawmakers head toward the mandatory adjournment of the regular legislative session on June 9.
Winfield, who attended the news conference with McCrory and other senators, agreed with his fellow lawmaker.
“Many of our colleagues in the Black and Puerto Rican Caucus have said there will be no bill if there is no equity,” said Winfield, an influential lawmaker as co-chair of the legislature’s judiciary committee. “There will be no cannabis legalization in this state without equity — without it being a serious part of the bill. ... There won’t be a cannabis bill in this state until we get equity right.”
Sen. Marilyn Moore of Bridgeport said that money from legal marijuana sales must be distributed properly for minority communities.
“When you start talking about marijuana, you start talking about gambling, who is impacted the most by that? We are — Black and brown people,” Moore said. “We want some of that money to go into programs that address the ills in our community. The money is there. ... I’ve been here seven years. When is that money ever going to be here? Let’s be more directed to addressing the problems of our communities that are suffering the most.”
Senate President Pro Tem Martin Looney, a New Haven Democrat, attended Wednesday’s news conference and said he agreed with the sentiments of the other senators. Members of the Black and Puerto Rican Caucus have been working behind the scenes to craft language for the bill on equity, but those efforts are still ongoing. Democrats currently control the Senate by a 24-12 margin, so even if six Democrats broke with their caucus, Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz could be called upon to break an 18-18 tie. The caucus, Looney said, has not taken a headcount on the issue.
“Will people who live in urban areas have a chance to own and operate some of these businesses?’’ Looney asked. “Will they be able to get financing for franchises? What we’ve seen in other states is that sometimes out-of-state entities swoop in and wind up buying up all the franchises and operating the businesses, so the residents of the community are relatively low-paid employees of these new businesses — rather than having a chance for management roles and ownership roles. We’re trying to avoid some of the mistakes that other states have made in implementing legalization.”
House Republican leader Vincent Candelora of North Branford said he had not previously heard key Democrats speak so publicly and bluntly about the marijuana bill. Heopposes the measure for various reasons, including a belief along with the Connecticut Medical Society that marijuana is harmful to a person’s health.
Candelora also opposes the distribution of money that is proposed in Gov. Ned Lamont’s bill that stretches more than 200 pages. The bill calls for 55% of the money going to initiatives to help communities that were harmed the most during the war on drugs, 15% for mental health and prevention and 30% to the state’s general fund to administer the marijuana program at agencies such as the state consumer protection department for regulations, testing, licensing and oversight.
The more important issue, Candelora said, is that additional money needs to be set aside for mental health, prevention, treatment and rehabilitation for those who smoke too much marijuana.
“We’re only focusing on who gets the biggest piece of the pie,” he said.
Lawmakers need to shift focus on helping those suffering deleterious health impacts from marijuana, Candelora said, instead of “an overt discussion, unapologetically, on who gets the profits.”