On Thursday afternoon, top lawmakers in the Connecticut House of Representatives announced their plan to legalize cannabis for adult use. Speaking at a press conference, General law chair Rep. Michael D’Agostino, Judiciary Committee chair Rep. Steve Stafstrom and Finance, Revenue and Bonding Committee member Rep. Jason Rojas—all Democrats—discussed the details of the legislative process and what Connecticut residents should expect next. Here are the major takeaways.

A billboard along a Connecticut highway is brewing controversy between residents.

On the federal level, marijuana is still highly illegal, but in neighboring Massachusetts, the substance has been legalized since 2016.

The billboard, put up by "Weed Maps", a company that allows people to find marijuana dispensaries across the country, directs viewers to the new pot shop in Northampton, Mass., 60 miles away.

Some are saying the advertising is innappropriate, citing that weed is still illegal in Connecticut and that it will incentivize people to return home having been or planning to be under the influence.

Protestors and proponents were split over the weekend, some even making parallels to the gun control debate.

With many states considering legalizing recreational marijuana, it's possible there will be several new states to add to the list of legalized ones in America. And Connecticut could be next, writes Joseph Misulonas.

Beginning next week, students at the University of Connecticut have the chance to take a pioneering new course in cannabis horticulture. The course, titled “Horticulture of Cannabis: from Seed to Harvest,” aims to train students in all aspects of the cannabis cultivation process.

Importantly, this course represents progress on multiple fronts. For starters, it is part of an increasing focus on bringing scientifically-proven and evidence-backed processes to the world of cannabis cultivation. Additionally, the course is part of a growing trend in which colleges and universities are beginning to train students to enter the legal cannabis industry.

Litchfield County this spring will debut its first-ever medical marijuana dispensary in Torrington, about five years after city officials amended a key zoning regulation allowing local distribution of the drug.

Shortly after Connecticut legalized medical marijuana sales in 2012, Torrington created dispensary overlay zones allowing the retail clinics. The city's aim was simple: shorten commutes for thousands of local patients to access cannabis.

Those regulations piqued the interest of myriad entrepreneurs who wanted to open a dispensary; four received local zoning approval, and one was recently granted rights to open a facility by the state Department of Consumer Protection, which regulates the industry.

With the Connecticut legislature likely to consider the legal sale of recreational marijuana, advocates are pressing for racial equity in the emerging industry.

“We want the same opportunities that are offered other communities," Kebra Smith-Bolden, of Canna Health and Women Grow CT, "But when you look at states like Massachusetts or Colorado with not even a handful of minority-owned business in the first hundreds of licenses, we have a serious problem that needs to be addressed. So we got together to make sure it gets addressed here and now.”

Smith-Bolden and other advocates have formed a new group focused on achieving racial equity in ownership, employment and consumer access.

Nine new medical marijuana dispensaries are set to open up in Connecticut, bringing the total in the state to 18. 

The State's Department of Consumer Protection announced the locations of the new facilities Tuesday as part of Connecticut's Medical Marijuana Program.  The program has been expanded since 2012 when the a medical marijuana bill was signed.  In 2014, medication became available to patients.  

Today, there are over 30,000 patients with medical marijuana cards for 31 conditions.  In 2016, there were about 8,000 patients.  

Something that once could have gotten students in big legal trouble at college may now be a budding career path.

The University of Connecticut is in spring 2019 going to offer a new course on marijuana and what it takes to work in the industry. It is already causing a buzz.

“We ran out of seats before half of the university could register for the course,” Professor Gerard Berkowitz, who will be teaching the class, told the Hartford Courant. “There’s going to be more students taught in this one class than in my department, all the professors, all the classes they teach, both semesters."

Legal weed is catalyzing changes in all sorts of areas, many of which operate tangentially to the primary, plant-touching industry. Increasingly, that includes education. More and more, students seeking a “higher” education can learn about cannabis as part of their university training.

Most recently, University of Connecticut announced that it will offer a cannabis cultivation course during the spring 2019 semester.