Governor Ned Lamont represented Connecticut during the Governor’s Regional Cannabis & Vaping Summit, in which he and number of other states worked to make a collective effort to legalizing the recreational use of marijuana by next year.

The summit’s initiative was to not to create a multi-state pact to pass a specific bill, but rather further inform state leaders and representatives on ways the legalization will impact them.

Those in attendance, along with Lamont, were New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who discussed the idea with Lamont on a fishing trip, Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf and New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy. Representatives from Massachusetts and Colorado joined the summit as well to share how the sale of recreational pot has benefited their regions. A representative was also there for the state of Rhode Island.

“This is a very important topic and is probably one of the most challenging issues I’ve had to address in the state of New York,” Cuomo stated. “It is complicated, it is controversial and it is consequential. And that is a very difficult and challenging combination.”

Cuomo emphasized that if action is not taken properly to legalize marijuana then more consequences could arise than any actual benefits. With the history of Colorado and Massachusetts as examples on how to properly conduct such actions, some states are feeling more inclined to move forward with such a change, including Connecticut.

Prior to the summit, Lamont has been backing the “weed horse” since his campaign trail. He believes the state would be able to generate close $150 million through the legalization of recreational marijuana and sports betting, but he emphasized the right way to initiate marijuana regulations is through a “regional coordination,” among states.

“This makes sense: sitting down, working together, working together with New Jersey, working with Pennsylvania and our other neighbors to make sure that what we do, we do it on a standardized basis, we do it on a well-regulated basis with health and safety paramount,” Lamont stated. “I think we’re much stronger when we work together and that’s what this meeting is all about.”

The governors collectively agreed that in order to conduct this new system the states would have curate core principles in which they would incorporate in each of their individual forms of legislation. Some of which include establishing an appropriate sales tax rate, imposing limitations on number of sales licenses and a deep dive into social justice reform revolving around areas that are disproportionately impacted by cannabis usage.

Although each state does plan to implement their legislation independently, the core principles will ensure “coordination” across state lines, according to Murphy.

“You’ve got your own sovereign reality, your own unique realities in your own state, but that doesn’t mean you can’t be coordinated,” Murphy added.

Along with wanting to propose a marijuana bill by next year, Lamont is also moving towards limiting the use of related tobacco and vaping products amongst youths.

Recently, the state passed a law, this month, that raised the age of purchasing tobacco and vaping products to 21 in order to limit younger generations from using them. This came along with an increase tax on non-refillable, sealed e-cigarette products to 10 percent of open wholesale, $0.40/ml of e-cigarette liquid.

According to the administration, the state is estimated to lose close to $6.3 million in annual tax revenue due to the new legislation. Lamont argues though the loss is worth it if it means bettering the health of Connecticut’s young people.

“With the rising use of e-cigarettes and vaping products among young people, we are seeing a growing public health crisis and it’s time that we addressed it,” Lamont stated. “Continuing the enforcement of outdated laws just because that’s the way it’s always been is not a good enough reason for why they should continue to reflect outdated perceptions.”