Connecticut marijuana advocates bolstered by Massachusetts’ first sales

Legal pot proponents in Connecticut are savoring the start of recreational marijuana sales to the north on Tuesday, a milestone felt far beyond Massachusetts by those pushing for legalization.

From the cities to college towns, local advocates say they view New England’s first retail marijuana sales as a taste of what’s to come in Connecticut, especially after the election of a pro-legalization governor, Ned Lamont, and other key lawmakers to the General Assembly.

“Here’s a clear example of a regulated market happening just to our north, so there’s no more guesswork needed,” said Jason Ortiz of Hartford, vice president of the Minority Cannabis Business Association. “We can see how it’s playing out.”

Ortiz expects lawmakers here to develop a single bill that covers everything from home growers, retail sales and marijuana lounges to expunging records of people convicted of marijuana possession. It’s currently illegal to possess marijuana in Connecticut.

And though that hasn’t quashed local excitement around Tuesday’s watershed sales in Massachusetts, police are warning would-be-customers not to bring back any cannabis products purchased legally in Massachusetts.

Like several others, Ortiz said he won’t be visiting the dispensaries at all this week — long lines are anticipated at New England Treatment Access in Northampton and Cultivate in Leicester, which begin recreational sales at 8 a.m. Tuesday.

But soon, he said, “I will go to explore, especially from a policy standpoint. This is where we get to see how the rubber hits the road.”

State police say troopers will be vigilant as always, but have no plans to increase enforcement around drivers possession marijuana as they cross into Connecticut. Officers are also prepared in border towns like Enfield, where Police Chief Alaric Fox said marijuana has been a subject of discussion for some time.

“I don’t think the dawning of today is necessarily unexpected for the officers,” Fox said.

Possession of small amounts of marijuana is not a crime in Connecticut, but punishable by fines, except for certain repeat offenders.

Still, Mark Jenkins joked Monday that to stand outside his Albany Avenue office at the Greater Hartford Harm Reduction Coalition, you’d think pot sales were already legal — something he favors for the improved safety and regulation it would lend to the at-risk population he serves.

Jenkins, the CEO of the drug treatment facility, also hopes legal marijuana will bring equal protections to minorities. Despite using the drug at similar rates, blacks are nearly four times more likely than whites to be arrested for it, according to the American Civil Liberties Union.

Perhaps Connecticut will be spurred to action when it sees Massachusetts raking in tax revenue from its burgeoning marijuana industry, Jenkins said.

In his field, it seems “they always need motivators,” Jenkins said. “Either there’s a champion because there’s been too much loss of life, or there’s money to be made.”

On Monday, Lamont reiterated that he favors legalizing recreational marijuana.

“You know it’s something that I would support,’’ Lamont told reporters at the state Capitol. “I don’t want the black market controlling marijuana distribution in our state. I think that’s a lousy way to go. Canada, Massachusetts, others are doing it.”

On Monday, he also noted the role medical marijuana plays in easing opioid use. In May, researchers at the University of Georgia released findings that opioid prescriptions decreased in states with medical marijuana laws, like Connecticut.

In some states, physicians can even grant medical marijuana certificates to those with opioid use disorder.

Regarding whether the Connecticut legislature should fast-track the issue when the session begins in January in order to avoid falling behind Massachusetts, Lamont said, “It’s going to be one of the priorities we’ve got.”

“Look, my priority number one is to get a budget, get people around that table, and get a budget that’s not meant to last for one year but a budget that helps us to have a blueprint for the next four and eight years,” he said.

Jennifer Purdon, president of Students for Sensible Drug Policy at University of Connecticut, will be watching the next legislative session closely to see if Lamont heeds his campaign promises.

The Groton native was already considering a post-graduation move to Massachusetts, where taxes are slightly lower and the economy is growing faster.

Now, Massachusetts has another edge over this state, says Purdon — it’s been estimated that legalizing recreational marijuana could net Connecticut $30 million or more in tax revenue the first year.

“It’s super important if we’re going to have any chance of getting out of this budget crisis and retaining people already living in this state, young people especially,” she said. “It’s just a matter of getting the legislators to pick up the torch and get moving on this issue.”

Purdon said she plans to check out the recreational industry in Massachusetts soon, though she has access to marijuana in her home state. She’s one of the more than 30,000 patients in Connecticut’s medical marijuana program, as well as a team member at Canna Care Docs, an alternative medicine practitioner with a location in Hartford.

She doesn’t expect many patients to travel to Massachusetts dispensaries and illegally transport marijuana across the border. However, she said, some people seek cannabis products for therapeutic purposes that aren’t approved by Connecticut’s Department of Consumer Protection — like opioid use disorder and general chronic pain.

Those people may weigh the risks and rewards of breaking the law, Purdon said.

“So really, I just hope it’s easier in the future for our patients to access cannabis,” she sad.

Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly described Canna Care Docs, an alternative medicine practitioner, as a dispensary. The physician’s office provides medical cannabis evaluations.

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