Dan Haar: Legal pot debate is over the day Mass. sales start

Cannabis entrepreneur Virgil Grant carries bags of medical marijuana at a dispensary he runs in Los Angeles. Cannabis entrepreneur Virgil Grant carries bags of medical marijuana at a dispensary he runs in Los Angeles. Photo: Getty Images Photo: Getty Images Image 1 of / 44 Caption Close Dan Haar: Legal pot debate is over the day Mass. sales start 1 / 44 Back to Gallery

Here’s a fact that should color the debate over marijuana legalization: Retail sales of weed to any Connecticut resident over 21 will start this summer.

How’s that? Recreational, non-medical marijuana stores in Massachusetts will open for business as soon as July 1 and almost definitely before Labor Day, barring a legal surprise.

And there’s nothing in the lengthy Bay State pot-selling rules, due to take effect next week, that bars selling to out-of-state residents — or, for that matter, advertising south of the border.

Possession of less than one-half of 1 ounce is not a criminal drug bust in Connecticut, though it’s subject to infraction fines. That means, in effect, Connecticut becomes a recreational marijuana state as soon as the buds, oils and edibles go on sale across the state line.

Despite that, we’re still debating whether to sanction sales of pot in Connecticut, with a hearing scheduled Thursday morning at the state Capitol. State agencies in public safety and consumer protection have done little to prepare for sales just up the road, other than promising to uphold Connecticut laws.

Like it or not, the game is over, folks. In a state where anyone who wants can and will easily acquire the stuff from sanctioned retailers, blocking local sales based on public health, morality, child welfare and safety is a silly exercise.

Sure, those are worthy concerns that deserve attention. But legal pot sales start this summer. We can’t stop it. The only question is whether we want to regulate it, tax it and harvest a few tens of millions of dollars for Connecticut — or send the money to a state that’s already creating jobs 10 times faster than we are.

Massachusetts retail sales will mark a historic event: Never before has pot gone on sale legally in a state with multiple metro areas within an hour’s drive. More than 5 million people in Albany, N.Y.; Concord, Manchester and Portsmouth, N.H.; Providence; Waterbury, Hartford, Middletown and even New Haven will be able to drive to a Massachusetts cannabis store, stock up and easily make it home for lunch.

Advocates for legalization in Connecticut haven’t used this impending reality to bolster their case. Now they will.

“I do like that argument,” said Rep. Josh Elliott, D-Hamden, a leader in the legalization fight. “It will become de facto legal in Connecticut once it goes on sale in Massachusetts. The only difference is we’ll be losing revenue.”

Elliott, who isn’t sure where the likely votes stand in the Legislature this spring, has argued for full legalization based on social justice; the comparison of marijuana to alcohol, tobacco and other drugs, and the message we’re sending by continuing to ban its sale to adults for nonmedical use. Money is a lesser factor, he said.

But money will matter a lot more when nearby stores sell the product. How much tax revenue Connecticut could gain, and how much Connecticut residents will pay in Massachusetts, remains unclear.

This we know: The one time when a state legalized recreational sales near another state’s metro area — Washington, just over the Columbia River from Portland, Ore., in 2014 — the result was predictable. Oregon, seeing a massive border effect, allowed stores to open barely more than a year later.

That’s what Connecticut must now do, regardless of what people here think about the dangers.

You might be thinking this idea of de facto legalization is an exaggeration. You’d be wrong. Consider the math.

For most people, a half-ounce is at least 100 doses. That means even a daily user can buy pot legally as few as three or four times a year and never run out.

Downtown Springfield, to name just one likely location, is a half-hour from Hartford and within an hour from nearly half the population of Connecticut. If you’re reading this anyplace in Connecticut, chances are you’ve at least passed through Massachusetts a few times in the last 12 months.

And if you haven’t, you will now if you want to buy some ganja without abetting a crime.

While you’re at it, you can stop off at MGM Springfield — where, chances are, you’ll spend more than you fork over for a vial of weed. We won’t know the Massachusetts prices until the market kicks in but Connecticut medical pot is typically about $35 for one-eighth of an ounce.

Recreational rates are likely to be higher, though prices are dropping nationally. Thankfully, we won’t see cannabis cafes this year at least, so buyers are less likely to drive while high.

Some warnings are worth heeding. First, the state Department of Consumer Protection says it will keep a watchful eye; that could mean referring complaints to Massachusetts, or to police, or even opening its own investigation if something goes awry.

Second, even though possession of less than a half-ounce of marijuana is not a crime, it’s illegal to possess even if you buy it legally elsewhere. “We plan to continue to enforce Connecticut state law and will abide by any state law put in place,” said Trooper First Class Kelly Grant, spokeswoman for the state police and affiliated agencies.

That’s the fine print. The billboard: “Clean, cheap reefer is as close as the Big E starting soon! Bring your tax dollars while Connecticut dallies.”