By Jack Kramer, Patch Correspondent



HARTFORD, CT — It looks like Connecticut won't be joining eight either other states, including Massachusetts, in legalizing recreational marijuana. The last chance to get committee backing for legalization was the Judiciary Committee, but the bill isn't expected to be on the agenda for Friday's meeting, which is the committee's last. Sources say the committee didn't have the votes for passage of Senate President Martin Looney's bill to legalize recreational cannabis for those over the age of 21. Looney's was one of several proposed bills to legalize pot this legislative session. Other bills were raised by the Public Health Committee; however none passed. (To sign up for free, local breaking news alerts from more than 100 Connecticut communities click here.)

Looney admitted on Wednesday he didn't have the votes but he said he wasn't quitting. "At a time when our state budget is in need of new sources of revenue, I doubt this will be the final conversation on the topic," Looney said. See also: Former Forbes Publisher Gets Probation For School Bus Incident In CT

Playground Built in Honor Of Late Boston Marathon Bombing Survivor from Connecticut: Report The concept, which has had at least two public hearings, could still be raised as an amendment to another piece of legislation, including the state budget. "I believe that Connecticut is ready for a rational, common-sense approach to the legalization and regulation of marijuana," Looney said Wednesday.

He said states across the country are "reaping the financial benefits of marijuana regulation. With our neighbor Massachusetts poised to be the next state to implement a legalization plan, Connecticut is in danger of being left at a financial disadvantage," Looney said.

Connecticut's Office of Fiscal Analysis has determined that the Nutmeg state could bring in $45.4 million to $104.6 million a year in revenue if the legislature legalizes cannabis in the same way Massachusetts or Colorado.

Nearly two-thirds of Connecticut voters, or 63 percent, support making possession of small amounts of cannabis legal for adults, according to a March 2015 Quinnipiac University poll. The proposed bill will raise approximately $18.5 million in the first six months of collections, $83.4 million in the following full year of collections, and $135 million in the third year from these taxes, according to Looney.