Statement on Recreational Marijuana Bill Signing

June 22, 2021

Statement on Recreational Marijuana Bill Signing - CT Senate Republic

Senate Republican Leader Kevin Kelly (R-Stratford) and Senate Republican Leader Pro Tempore Paul Formica (R-East Lyme) released the following statement regarding Governor Ned Lamont’s signing of the new state law legalizing recreational cannabis:

 

“The passage of this bill was a calamity.  Democrats focused on the money – not on the public health and social impact. The advice of doctors who fiercely opposed the bill and the science was ignored. The fingerprints of the Hartford well-connected were all over this bill to determine who will get the licenses to sell. Beginning July 1, you can smoke marijuana wherever you can smoke a cigarette. Families will be shocked when they find out you can smoke marijuana at beaches and parks, in their own neighborhoods, and at many other outdoor recreation areas. Legalization of marijuana will increase access for children. Despite other states’ best efforts to limit the purchase of legal marijuana to only adults, the downstream effect is a troubling increase in youth use. Democrats want to pretend that doesn’t exist and have made it more difficult for parents to raise their family.”