On March 1, Connecticut’s HB 6787 was heard by the Joint Committee on Judiciary.

HB 6787 is a cannabis resentencing bill that would create a process for automatic sentence modification of all eligible marijuana convictions identified by prosecutorial officials and instructs courts to hold a hearing to determine if the release or downward modification of a sentence is warranted.

While LPP is thrilled that Connecticut has taken great strides to clear cannabis convictions from criminal records, the state has made little to no progress in reducing or eliminating cannabis-related criminal sentences since adopting legalization. Therefore, to adequately address the past harms of cannabis criminalization, it is imperative that the legislature provide avenues for retroactive relief through a state-initiated sentence modification process.

Not only did LPP offer testimony in support of the bill, we also encouraged Connecticut to expand upon the bill to go further. For example, LPP suggested that HB 6787 offer a broader eligibility scheme beyond simple possession; include oversight or statutory deadlines to ensure that state actors are fulfilling their obligation under the proposed law; and transparency requirements that allow citizens to monitor the state’s progress toward implementation.

For more details, click here to read the written testimony on HB 6787 that we submitted for consideration by the Joint Committee on Judiciary.