Family pleads with Connecticut lawmakers to not legalize recreational pot

The topic of recreational marijuana was a big discussion at the state Capitol Monday.

News 12 Staff

Apr 29, 2019, 6:42 PM

Updated 1,820 days ago

Share:

The topic of recreational marijuana was a big discussion at the state Capitol Monday.
A western Connecticut family made an emotional plea for lawmakers to reject the idea.
Susan Klein, from Brookfield, says that she and her husband were driving home from a concert four years ago when a teenager who was high on marijuana crashed into their car. Her husband did not survive the crash.
Klein and her sister testified before the state tax-writing committee in Hartford Monday.  They say it's simply too hard for police to test for drivers who are stoned - something law enforcement is also worried about.
Lawmakers debated Monday how much to tax pot if it becomes legal. The current plan calls for a 9% sales tax, which could send up to $160 million a year to inner cities like Bridgeport.
Democrats like Greenwich state Sen. Alex Bergstein are opposed.  Gov. Ned Lamont also said there was a reason he didn't include it in the state budget.
"I didn't put it in because I didn't know if it was going to pass and I'll leave that up to the Legislature and if it passes, it would represent revenues next year,” he says.
Legal marijuana supporters say if marijuana taxes are too high, customers will just stick with the black market.


More from News 12