HARTFORD — A finance committee hearing on how to tax recreational marijuana and what the state should do with the money quickly became a broad debate on the merits of legalization as the Connecticut legislature readies to vote on the issue in the next six weeks.
Supporters of legalization Monday highlighted the state’s opportunity to revitalize urban communities while bringing new revenue to the state. Opponents said the social costs of the drug eclipsed those benefits.
The Democrat-backed bill proposes a $35 per ounce levy on cannabis flowers and $13.50 per ounce on the rest of the plant. It also includes a 6.35 percent states sales tax and 3 percent local sales tax, which will go to the towns that host dispensaries.
