Scanlon: If Pot Legalized, Money Should Be Spent on Drug Epidemic

GUILFORD, CT - Guilford State Rep. Sean Scanlon hasn't said he's in favor of legalizing marijuana. But Scanlon, who has been one of the leading advocates for programs to fight the opioid epidemic at the state legislature, believes if pot is legalized some of the money the state takes in should go to combat substance use disorder in the state.

Last week at the state legislature, Scanlon introduced an amendment to a bill taxing marijuana that mandates an unspecified amount of money be set aside from legalization to treat mental health and addiction issues in all of the state’s communities.

The amendment to a bill taxing cannabis, if it is eventually legalized, was approved with bipartisan support by the Finance, Revenue and Bonding Committee.

Scanlon, a memer of the committee, said that if recreational marijuana is eventually legalized that he “absolutely agrees” with the need to distribute some of the funding taken in to distressed communities, which is what the original bill mandates.

However, Scanlon added, again if pot is legalized, that a portion of the money taken in by the state should be distributed to those treating “mental health and abuse issues in any municipality.”

As to how much money would be distributed, when asked by other committee members, Scanlon said that was yet to be determined.

Elaborating on his position after the committee vote, Scanlon added: “Since we are the Finance Committee, the bill before us was not to legalize marijuana but rather to say that if legalization happens, this would be the tax structure.”

“Under the bill, 100% of the revenue from legalization would go towards economic development in distressed communities,” Scanlon said. “I wholeheartedly agree that we should be building up communities disproportionately impacted by decades of misguided criminal justice policy but I also have serious reservations about legalization from a public health perspective and I offered this amendment to ensure that, should we legalize, a portion of the revenue will now go towards mental health and substance use disorder treatment.”

Scanlon wanted to make it clear that he introduced his amendment not because he is coming out in favor of marijuana legalization but to ensure that when and if pot is legalized that all communities in the state, not just distressed communities, benefit from the funding that comes in to fight the drug scourge plaguing the state.

While he went along with the amendment, Sen. Rob Sampson, R-Wolcott, said he found it ironic that the committee was willing to vote to allot money to create social programming to fight against a drug it is considering legalizing.

“That’s how terrible the notion of marijuana addiction is,” Sampson said.

Rep. Mary Mushinsky, D- Wallingford, also supported Scanlon’s amendment, stating: “If the legislature decides to legalize there is going to be some social fallout just as there was when we legalized gaming.”

The full bill, that would tax adult cannabis sales and distribute part of the revenue to underserved communities with the amendment attached, now advances to the full Senate for consideration.

The bill would establish a state gross receipts tax of 6.35% on retail cannabis sales for adult use; a state tax on transfers from growers of ($35 per ounce for cannabis flower and $13.50 per ounce for trim); and a 3% local sales tax on retail sales.

All of the state tax revenue would be distributed to the Community Development Corporation Trust Fund, which funds early literacy education and community development corporations that focus on improving the lives of people living in economically distressed and underserved communities.

Local tax funds would go to the localities where the retail sales occurred.