Several progressive lawmakers objected to a legalization proposal from the governor, saying it failed to ensure communities damaged by the war on drugs had a fair stake in the proposed new cannabis industry.
Robyn Porter, D-New Haven, said early in the session that she would not support a bill that did not meet her social equity goals.
“The devil is in the details,” Porter said when asked whether the progressive wing of the caucus would support the negotiated deal.
But with the clock on the session quickly running out, Democrats may soon reach a point where they lack the time to run the bill even if they can wrangle the votes.
When there are mere hours left before adjournment, any bill with significant opposition can be debated at length, chewing up valuable time.
Earlier in the session, House Speaker Matt Ritter said he was open to the idea of taking up a cannabis bill during a special legislative session.
So I think it’s – throw it on the board and see what happens and people go ‘oh my god, you can’t do that.