A year ago, marijuana legalization looked like it was on a roll in the Northeast – it had already passed in three of the region’s states and was a priority for governors in three more, including the populous New York.
Now, after legislative efforts stalled and a vaping sickness stirred new concerns, the governors of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut still want to make recreational pot legal. And they and Pennsylvania’s governor have been comparing notes on how to do it.
“This year, let’s work with our neighbors … to coordinate a safe and fair system,” New York’s Gov. Andrew Cuomo said this week.
His state hosted the four Democratic governors for an October summit on the issue.
But the states have different approaches and political appetites. They are contending with new questions as both opponents and advocates of legalization point to the vaping scare to make their cases. And in an election year for many state officeholders, the politics of pot legalization look all the more complex.
Supporters remain hopeful, particularly about New Jersey, where the question is now headed to voters this fall, and New York, where Cuomo spotlighted it in his State of the State speech Wednesday.
Two-thirds of U.S. states now allow medical marijuana, and recreational use is legal in 11, including the Northeastern states of Massachusetts, Maine and Vermont. The latter two currently allow some possession of the drug but haven’t started legal sales. Shops could open this spring in Maine, while Vermont has yet to enact a system.
Gov. Ned Lamont and New Jersey counterpart Phil Murphy both campaigned on legalizing recreational marijuana but have faced ambivalence in their legislatures, where fellow Democrats are in control.
Lamont “is still examining the path forward” on marijuana legalization, spokesman Max Reiss said this week.
Some proposals cleared Connecticut legislative committees last year but never got full floor votes, and it remains unclear how much support there might be this year. Opponents have raised arguments ranging from health unknowns for users to workplace issues for federal defense contractors with big facilities in the state.
The Office of Fiscal Analysis estimated in 2018 that Connecticut could bring in $45.4 million to $104.6 million a year if it legalizes marijuana in the same way it’s been done in Massachusetts or Colorado. A report from the Congressional Budget Office last year found that banking marijuana could be a $1.45 billion business for banks and credit unions. Connecticut currently has 16 licensed medical marijuana dispensaries, plus four existing producers. The state has over 30,000 medical marijuana patients, up from 8,228 in January 2016.
Rhode Island Gov. Gina Raimondo has said she’ll renew a recreational marijuana legalization proposal this year. But state Senate and House leaders oppose it. All are Democrats.
