Search Results for "connecticut"

Connecticut Gov. Announces Pardons for Roughly 44,000 Cannabis Cases

12/09/2022

Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont (D) announced this week that thousands of Connecticut residents with cannabis possession convictions are set to have the charges fully or partially erased. The expungement policy is tied directly to the state’s 2021 adult-use cannabis legalization law.

“On January 1, thousands of people in Connecticut will have low-level cannabis convictions automatically erased due to the cannabis legalization bill we enacted last year. Especially as Connecticut employers seek to fill hundreds of thousands of job openings, an old conviction for low-level cannabis possession should not hold someone back from pursuing their career, housing, professional, and educational aspirations.” — Gov. Lamont statement, via press release

People whose charges are erased will be able to tell employers, landlords, and schools that the convictions never happened, according to the announcement.

Under the expungement plan, people who were convicted of possessing four ounces or less of cannabis between January 1, 2000, and September 30, 2015, will have their charges automatically erased on January 1, 2023. People convicted of one of the following violations will need to file a petition in the Connecticut Superior Court:

Convictions for possessing four ounces or less of cannabis from before January 1, 2000, or between October 1, 2015, and June 30, 2021.
Convictions for possessing cannabis-related drug paraphernalia imposed before July 1, 2021.
Convictions from before July 1, 2021, for manufacturing, selling, possessing with intent to sell, or giving/administering cannabis to another person, so long as the amount involved was under or equal to four ounces, or no more than six homegrown plants.

Lamont signed Connecticut’s adult-use cannabis law in June 2021 and sales are expected to launch early next year.

President Joe Biden (D) pardoned all federal cannabis possession convictions in October and called on governors around the U.S. to follow suit at the state level.

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Connecticut Cannabis Sales Launch Expected Early Next Year

11/29/2022

Connecticut cannabis regulators notified three medical cannabis producers last week that they have taken the necessary steps for converting their cannabis production licenses into hybrid licenses fit for serving both the medical and adult-use industries, the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection (DCP), which regulates the industry, said in a press release.

“The Department’s priority is to have a safe, well-regulated marketplace for consumers. I am grateful to the Drug Control and Legal teams at DCP who have worked — and continue to work — tirelessly, since the passage of the law, toward a safe and successful market opening.” — Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection Commissioner Michelle H. Seagull

State law requires the licensing of at least 250,000 square feet of growing and manufacturing space before Connecticut’s adult-use sales can begin. To satisfy the threshold, regulators must either award hybrid licenses to all four of the state’s current medical cannabis producers or approve an additional cultivator. The state anticipates the launch of adult-use sales by early next year.

The following three cannabis production companies have completed the license conversion:

Advanced Grow Labs LLC
Connecticut Pharmaceutical Solutions LLC
Curaleaf LLC

Additionally, the following seven medical cannabis dispensaries were notified that they had completed the steps for converting to a hybrid retail license:

Affinity – New Haven
Bluepoint Wellness of Connecticut – Branford
C3 Torrington (Still River Wellness) – Torrington
FFD Newington – Newington
FFD Stamford – Stamford
FFD Willimantic – Willimantic
Willow Brook Wellness – Meriden

Connecticut lawmakers approved the state’s adult-use cannabis reforms in June 2021. Since then, regulators have crafted rules for the new industry, hired 38 people to help stand up the industry, and established social equity licensing opportunities for individuals who were disproportionately harmed by cannabis prohibition.

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Connecticut Selects Social Equity Cultivation Licensees

7/14/2022

The Connecticut Social Equity Council on Tuesday selected 16 applicants for commercial cannabis licenses, WTNH reports. The firms have not been named but the approval allows them to start large-scale cultivation operations.

Andrea Comer, Connecticut Social Equity Council chair, said the approvals “will be transformative for social equity applicants, but more importantly will bring change to communities most harmed by the war on drugs.”

Winners still have to pay a $3 million fee and pass a background check before they are given the final licenses.

An independent firm reviewed 41 applications and recommended five businesses in Hartford, three in New Britain, two each in Bridgeport and Waterbury, and one each in Middletown, Manchester, Southington, and Stamford. Comer told WTNH that the recommendations reflect businesses that can do the work, and are at least 65% owned by local people, rather than big companies.

“So, they are evaluating folks to ensure that they meet the income threshold, that they lived in the disproportionately affected area for the requisite time period, and that the business itself reflects the 65% ownership for the social equity applicant.” — Comer to WTNH

For general licenses, Connecticut received more than 37,000 applications for 56 cannabis industry licenses. The social equity applicants not selected will be moved to the general license lottery.

Connecticut legalized cannabis for adult use last year and has since banned retail gifting as the state moves forward with the application process. Future lottery rounds are expected later in the summer or early fall.

Officials have said they hope to have dispensaries up and running by the end of the year.

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Connecticut Overdose Linked to Fentanyl-laced Cannabis Due to Cross Contamination by Dealer

6/28/2022

Last fall, the Connecticut Department of Public Health issued a warning that 39 opioid overdoses in the state had been linked to fentanyl-laced cannabis, which prompted the captain of the Plymouth Police Department to call for the legalization of adult-use cannabis; however, an investigation by the federal High-Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA) program has determined that just one cannabis sample was linked to an opioid overdose, NBC Connecticut reports.

The investigators said the cannabis sample found at the site of an overdose in Plymouth was not intentionally laced with fentanyl, rather it was cross-contaminated due to poor quality control by the dealer. HIDTA determined that 30 of the 39 overdoses involved people with a history of opioid use.

Robert Lawlor Jr., a drug intelligence officer for HIDTA’s New England district, told NBC Connecticut that “It was kind of hard to pinpoint whether or not these people actually overdosed from just smoking marijuana.”

“They’re using the same equipment to bag up their marijuana as they are their fentanyl, which can cause cross contamination.” — Lawlor to NBC Connecticut

The Department of Public Health agreed with the HIDTA report, telling Hearst Connecticut Media that the dealer “…failed to clean their instruments before processing the marijuana and cross-contaminated it with fentanyl.”

HIDTA did warn, though, that while the incident “may be isolated,” it “could very easily happen again.”

In 2019, 2020, and 2021, more than 80% of overdose deaths in Connecticut involved fentanyl, according to state Department of Public Health statistics.

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Connecticut Receives More Than 37k Cannabis Industry Applications for 56 Licenses

6/27/2022

Connecticut has received more than 37,000 applications for 56 cannabis industry licenses with the deadline for applications passing last week, the Hartford Courant reports. Most of the applications are for licenses in underrepresented communities.

The Department of Consumer Protection received 13,806 applications for the general lottery and 23,487 applications for the social equity licenses. In all, 15,606 applications across both license types were for retail businesses. The 56 licenses will be split evenly between general and social-equity businesses. Regulators will approve 12 retail licenses, four each for micro-cultivators and co-located adult-use and medical use retailers; 10 each for delivery and food and beverage businesses; six each for packaging and manufacturers; and four for transporters.

Michelle Bodian, a lawyer at the cannabis law firm Vicente Sederberg, told the Courant that the state made nearly $1 million in application fees in the first lottery round. Fees in the state range from $128 to $750, the report says.

The state’s social equity council is set to meet on July 12 and will select applications that meet the state’s social equity criteria; those not selected will be moved to the general lottery.

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Connecticut Enacts Cannabis Gifting Ban & Regulates Industry Advertising

5/26/2022

Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont (D) on Tuesday signed a bill prohibiting cannabis gifting in exchange for donations or indirect payment and allowing towns to levy up to $1,000 fines for violations, CT News Junkie reports. The legislation includes provisions explicitly allowing individuals from sharing with friends and family as long as the exchange is not transactional.

Lamont also signed a bill to regulate cannabis advertising in the state, restricting ads within 1,500 yards of schools and churches and prohibiting billboard advertising by cannabis companies that are not licensed in Connecticut. The measure only allows ads featuring cannabis plants between the hours of 11 p.m. and 6 a.m. in an effort to limit exposure to children.

During the gifting bill debate earlier this month, Republican Sen. Kevin Witkos said the legislation closes “a loophole in the law that has been exploited by others to be allowed to sell in an unregulated market a regulated product.”

Lamont signed the state’s adult-use legalization bill in June, but sales have yet to commence. Adults are currently allowed to possess up to 1.5 ounces of cannabis in public and up to 5 ounces in their homes. The state’s current medical cannabis dispensaries are expected to be the first licensed to sell to adults without a medical recommendation but, according to a CT Mirror report, it’s still unclear when general retail sales will occur.

Medical cannabis patients have been allowed to grow their own cannabis at home since October 1, 2021, while adults without a medical card will have to wait until July 1, 2023, according to the Department of Consumer Protection website.

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Connecticut’s Quasi-Public Venture Capital Arm Invests in Cannabis Company

5/05/2022

Connecticut Innovations, the state’s quasi-public venture capital arm, has invested $1.25 million in 1906, a Colorado adult-use cannabis company that is moving to the Constitution State, the Hartford Business Journal reports. The investment is reportedly the first investment made by a state entity into a cannabis business.

1906 CEO Peter Barsoom called the investment, which closed in February, “a major milestone for the cannabis industry.”

“…Institutional investors don’t need to wait on the sidelines for changes to federal laws before they participate in the cannabis market.” – Barsoom to the Journal

1906 produces pills comprised of plant-based medicines and low doses of THC and CBD. The company currently has six different variations of the product at dispensaries in Arizona, Colorado, Illinois, Massachusetts, and Oklahoma, the report says.

Connecticut lawmakers approved cannabis reforms last June but sales have not yet commenced. Commissioner for the Department of Consumer Protection Michelle Seagull said in September that while officials had expected adult-use sales to start by the end of this year, the timeline may be delayed.

Officials from Connecticut Innovations said they decided to invest in 1906 because of the company’s leadership in the cannabis space, its strong revenue growth, and support of social justice initiatives. The firm also saw investments from Arcview and Merida in the funding round, the report says. 1906 also plans to use the funds to scale up its employee count and presence in the state.

Connecticut Innovations Vice President of Marketing Lauren Carmody said the “investment will help accelerate the company’s ambitious plans for growth and establish 1906 as the first of many cannabis industry leaders based here in Connecticut.”

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Connecticut House Passes Bill to Regulate Cannabis Advertising & Gifting

4/28/2022

Connecticut lawmakers on Tuesday passed legislation to regulate cannabis-related advertising in the state, eliminate cannabis gifting, and allow physician assistants to write medical cannabis recommendations.

The advertising bill passed the House 98-48, the Westerly Sun reports, and would ban ads from out-of-state cannabis operators, prohibit Connecticut licensees from using the cannabis plant in advertising, bar ads on illuminated billboards between 6 a.m. and 11 p.m., and prohibit any cannabis-related advertising within 1,500 yards of a school or house of worship.

The bill was amended to remove criminal penalties associated with the practice and language was added to expressly allow social gifting – which medical cannabis advocates said was often essential for some patients to access their medicine, the CT Mirror reports.

State Rep. Mike D’Agostino (D) said the measure is meant to reign in the practice of commercial gifting – the exchange of cannabis with the purchase of another often overpriced product – rather than individuals giving one another cannabis for free.

“You can gift to your friends and relatives. You can host a brownie party at your house.” – D’Agostino via the Sun

D’Agostino said the billboard rules stem from lawmakers from both sides of the Connecticut aisle “sick of seeing … billboards with cannabis leaves played across them.”

In addition to allowing physician assistants to write medical cannabis patient recommendations, the bill also seeks to eliminate fees for medical cannabis patient renewals and new registrants beginning in 2024.

The bill still requires Senate approval before moving to the governor.

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Connecticut Bill Aims to End Cannabis ‘Retail Gifting Events’

3/10/2022

Cannabis advocates in Connecticut are pushing back on provisions in a bill that would impose a $10,000 fine and up to a year in jail for gifting cannabis, CT News Junkie reports. Democratic Rep. Michael D’Agostino, the co-chairman of the Legislature’s General Law Committee, said the provisions are not intended to prohibit residents from giving cannabis to friends and family, rather stop “retail gifting events,” pointing to a Tupperware party as an example where cannabis was used as currency.

“‘Instead of cash, bring cannabis,’ and that’s the transaction. That would be prevented versus … your friends are coming over for a book club and you bake cannabis brownies. Have at it. The former would be prevented. The latter would not.” – D’Agostino, during the hearing, via CT News Junkie

During the hearing, lawmakers heard opposition from the public, including from Douglas Moore, who was born without arms and legs, lives on a fixed income, and relies on cannabis gifts from friends and family.

“For me to be actually a normal person like all y’all, I need this gift,” Moore said during his remarks. “So my question is: are you going to arrest me?”

D’Agostino responded that, as drafted, the law would not ban that type of gifting.

“It’s meant to target really what are essentially commercial transactions,” he said.

Michael DeLauro, a retired state worker who has lupus and a form of epilepsy, said cannabis helps treat his conditions better than traditional medications and urged D’Agostino to attend such gifting events to get a better understanding of the community involved.

“If you stop these types of events happening, you’re also going to stop the type of generosity and the type of community spirit that happens at these types of events.” DeLauro testified during the hearing. “It’s not simply eliminating a commercial transaction. I’ve thought about it and I’m not really sure what the law does other than protect commercial interests.”

The measure also includes a proposal to ban cannabis advertising on billboards in Connecticut and eliminate a provision that prohibits a municipality from granting zoning approval for more retailers or micro-cultivators than a number that would allow for one retailer and one micro-cultivator for every 25,000 residents of the municipality.

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Connecticut Sets Household Income Limits for Social Equity Applicants

3/09/2022

Connecticut’s Social Equity Council (SEC) has set household income limits on social equity applicants (SEA) at $235,332 during any one year of the prior three years, representing 300% of the $78,444 figure that the SEC is using as the state median income amount, according to Pullman & Comley’s Matthew Glennon. The rules were announced during the council’s March 2 webinar.

The SEC indicated that the calculation of household income will include all residents of the SEA’s home address that are 21-and-older and that the income threshold will be strictly applied, so even if a household is even one dollar over the limit, the applicant is not eligible as a social equity applicant.

Connecticut regulators approved social equity rules for the industry in January, announcing that the 56 first-round licenses will be evenly split among social equity and general licenses and are available for retailers, micro-cultivators, delivery services, food and beverage businesses, manufacturers, and transporters. Applications for Disproportionately Impacted Area cultivators opened on February 3. Social equity license hopefuls in the state have a one-time 90-day application period that ends on May 4.

The Department of Consumer Protection will then schedule several lotteries for the remaining licenses and expects a second licensing round in the second half of the year. Applicants selected for the social equity licenses are subject to review by the SEC.

In November, workforce and economic development organizations the Connecticut Community Outreach Revitalization Program (ConnCORP) and The WorkPlace announced the creation of the Alliance for Cannabis Equity (ACE), which will focus on social equity and economic opportunities for Black and Brown entrepreneurs and minority workers throughout the state’s cannabis industry.

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More Than 40% of Connecticut Municipalities Opt Out of Cannabis Industry

2/15/2022

Over 40% of Connecticut towns have opted to place bans or moratoriums on adult-use cannabis businesses, including 75 out of the state’s 169 municipalities, according to Hearst Connecticut Media Group data outlined by the New Haven Register. The opt-outs are mostly in small towns and suburbs.

Connecticut’s adult-use law was approved by lawmakers in July 2021. Like many states, it includes provisions that allow localities to outright ban or take a “wait and see” approach to the new policy. In all, 25 of the towns implemented bans, while 53 implemented moratoriums. In the surveys and interviews conducted by Hearst Media, some leaders say they still need time to review the new law to craft regulations. Notably, cities like Greenwich cited a conflict between Connecticut and federal law as the reason for their ban.

“When the Planning and Zoning Commission reviewed the zoning regulations regarding the ban, the merits of recreational or medicinal marijuana were not considered on-topic,” said Katie DeLuca, Greenwich’s director of planning and zoning. “The reason is that they found that there was a legal conflict between state and federal law in that state law permits such uses and federal law does not. In such instances, federal law takes precedent.”

Industry experts like Aaron Smith, executive director of the National Cannabis Industry Association, maintain towns that wait or ban cannabis businesses are missing out on tax revenue and economic growth. He is quick to point out the bans do not change buying habits, but consumers will “end up driving to another jurisdiction” to purchase cannabis.

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Connecticut to Start Accepting Adult-Use Cannabis Applications in February

1/28/2022

The Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection (DCP) is set to begin accepting some adult-use cannabis license applications next month, starting first with would-be cultivators and retailers seeking social equity licenses. Social-equity applicants pursuing packaging and transport licenses will be able to submit their applications beginning in March.

Application periods for the first round of licenses will be open for 90 days, and according to the DCP, licenses will be split evenly between social equity applicants and general applicants. The state will use a lottery process for most industry licenses, except for social equity cultivators, current medical cannabis operators, and those issued for its social equity micro-cultivator program.

In a press release, DCP Commissioner Michelle H. Seagull described the initial number of licenses as “not a cap but a starting point for “opening the adult-use cannabis market in an effective, measured and thoughtful way.”

DCP Drug Control Director Rod Marriott cautioned applicants to “prioritize submitting the best application they can” rather than trying to be first to submit their application, noting that “there is no advantage for applicants who submit their lottery applications first.”

The agency will hold two lotteries for each license type: a social equity lottery and a general lottery. Applicants selected in the social equity lottery are subject to review by the Social Equity Council to confirm their social equity status. To qualify as a social equity applicant in Connecticut, at least 65% of the ownership or control of the business must be held by individuals who meet the income and residency requirements for a social equity applicant outlined in the law. The state-approved those social equity rules on January 5.

“This work by the Social Equity Council is a critical step in the licensure process for the emerging Adult-Use cannabis market in Connecticut and will be instrumental in ensuring the equity goals established in the law are met,” Seagull said in a statement.

Last September, Seagull indicated that while regulators had suggested adult-use sales would begin by the end of this year, she warned that officials “have to see how things play out in the next few months.”

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Connecticut Approves Cannabis Social Equity Rules in Time to Accept Industry License Applications

1/06/2022

The Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection has approved the state’s social equity rules for the cannabis industry and the agency is set to begin accepting many industry license applications next month, the Hartford Courant reports. The Social Equity Council approved a workforce development plan, proof of residency, income requirements, ownership control, and other equity-focused rules and regulations.

Ginne-Rae Clay, interim executive director of the council, called the approvals “a huge deal.”

The 56 first-round licenses will be evenly split among social equity and general licenses and are available for retailers, micro-cultivators, delivery services, food and beverage businesses, manufacturers, and transporters, the report says. Social equity license hopefuls will have a one-time 90-day application period beginning on February 3 and ending on May 4.

Under the plan, social equity applicants are defined as a business seeking a cannabis license that’s at least 65% owned and controlled by an individual or individuals who had an average household income of less than 300% of the state median household income, which was about $74,000 in 2021, over three years.

The Department of Consumer Protection will schedule several lotteries for the remaining licenses and expects a second licensing round in the second half of the year. Applicants selected for the social equity licenses are subject to review by the Social Equity Council.

In November, workforce and economic development organizations the Connecticut Community Outreach Revitalization Program (ConnCORP) and The WorkPlace announced the creation of the Alliance for Cannabis Equity (ACE), which will focus on social equity and the economic opportunities for Black and Brown entrepreneurs and minority workers throughout the state’s cannabis industry.

State lawmakers approved the reforms last year and parts of the law, including possession by adults, took effect on July 1, 2021. Officials had expected retail sales would begin sometime this year; however, in September, Commissioner for the Department of Consumer Protection Michelle Seagull has indicated the rollout could be delayed.

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Alliance for Cannabis Equity Launches in Connecticut

11/30/2021

Two Connecticut-based workforce and economic development organizations last week announced the creation of the Alliance for Cannabis Equity (ACE), which will focus on social equity and the economic opportunities for Black and Brown entrepreneurs and minority workers throughout the state’s cannabis industry.

The groups — the Connecticut Community Outreach Revitalization Program (ConnCORP) and The WorkPlace — said the Alliance “is being created in recognition of the need for an authoritative and trusted resource for those interested in assuring that the social equity provisions related to adult-use cannabis are fully realized.”

In a press release, Carlton Highsmith, board chair for ConnCORP, said that cannabis legalization in the state “introduces a brand new growth industry” which will lead to the creation of “thousands of new jobs, … dozens of new businesses, [and] millions, if not billions, of dollars of wealth.”

“Provisions of the law aim to ensure that Black and Brown communities that have been disparately impacted by aggressive marijuana enforcement; that these communities not be left behind, but also benefit from the commercialization of cannabis.” — Highsmith, in a statement

Joseph Carbone, president and CEO of The WorkPlace, said the “collaboration will support underserved communities with the resources to develop enterprises and provide workers with training to access careers with good-paying, quality employment.”

“Legalized cannabis creates significant economic opportunities for entrepreneurs and workers from distressed communities to gain skills and advance in the growing cannabis industry,” he said in a statement.

State lawmakers approved the reforms earlier this year and parts of the law, including possession by adults, took effect on July 1. Officials had expected retail sales would begin sometime next year; however, in September, Commissioner for the Department of Consumer Protection Michelle Seagull indicated the rollout could be delayed.

The state’s 15-member Connecticut Social Equity Council, which was created by the legalization law, has already held meetings, the Associated Press reports. In August, the council approved 215 communities that will be given priority for cannabis licenses and access to special equity programs.

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Connecticut Police Captain Calls for Legal Cannabis Access After Fentanyl Overdoses

11/22/2021

A Connecticut police captain is calling for adult-use cannabis dispensaries to be opened “as soon as possible” as at least 39 overdoses in the state have been linked to fentanyl-laced cannabis, CT News Junkie reports. Plymouth Police Capt. Ed Benecchi said the opening of adult-use dispensaries would help “protect the public.”

“Our biggest fear is that this is going to become a trend,” he said, adding that while his department has heard about other cases related to fentanyl-laced cannabis it was “shocking” to get a sample of the adulterated substance.

The overdoses have prompted a warning from the Connecticut Overdose Response Strategy Team, “strongly” urging public health, harm reduction, and others working with clients who use cannabis “to educate them about the possible dangers of marijuana with fentanyl.”

Judiciary Committee Co-Chair Sen. Gary Winfield (D) told News Junkie that he didn’t see how the opening of dispensaries could happen before the end of 2022. In September, Department of Consumer Protection Commissioner Michelle Seagull admitted that the rollout of legal sales in the state would likely be delayed.

“I don’t think it’s as simple as let’s open up the dispensaries. There’s a lot of stuff that needs to be done and we need to be doing it in the right way. We wouldn’t be looking at three weeks after the session starts next year being able to get this done.” — Winfield to News Junkie

A spokesperson for Gov. Ned Lamont (D) told News Junkie that the “concerns of the Plymouth Police reinforce [his] reasoning” for supporting and enacting the cannabis reforms.

“It is his priority to ensure that its implementation, which is already on an aggressive schedule, is accomplished with a safe, responsible, and equitable process in place and is not rushed in a way that causes unintended consequences,” the spokesperson said.

In 2019, 2020, and 2021, more than 80% of overdose deaths in Connecticut involved fentanyl, according to state Department of Public Health statistics.

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Connecticut Selects Seed-to-Sale Tracking Firm

11/11/2021

The Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection’s (DCP) Drug Control Division has selected the BioTrack software for seed-to-sale tracking of the state’s medical and adult-use cannabis, according to a Westfair report. The inventory system is a product of Consultants Consortium Inc. and its partner Forian.

DCP Commissioner Michelle H. Seagull said the information will allow state regulators “to see what is currently available in both markets, project future inventory, and identify any potential diversion in the markets.”

“Being able to track the state’s cannabis inventory from seed to sale will allow the department to monitor cannabis production and inventory as it moves from the earliest phases of growth to when it reaches the qualifying patient or consumer.” — Seagull to Westfair

Information collected by the BioTrack system will be used by the DCP and the Department of Revenue Services and will be made available to other entities, including law enforcement, as required under the state’s adult-use cannabis law, which was approved by lawmakers and signed by Gov. Ned Lamont (D) in June.

While adult-use sales are expected in Connecticut sometime next year, Seagull warned in September that the state’s timeline for adult-use cannabis sales may take longer than legislators first thought.

“We’ve been suggesting that there will likely be sales by the end of 2022, and we’re still aspiring for that,” she told the Connecticut Examiner. “Obviously, we have to see how things play out in the next few months.”

Seagull said that unknowns, such as who might qualify for a social equity license, could contribute to the delay.

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Connecticut Asks Massachusetts Cannabis Companies to Remove Billboards

10/29/2021

Connecticut Attorney General William Tong has sent a letter to seven Massachusetts cannabis companies asking them to remove their billboards from along Connecticut highways, saying that the ads are illegal in the state under its adult-use cannabis law passed earlier this year, Western Mass News reports. Under Connecticut’s legalization law, cannabis advertising is prohibited unless 90% of the audience is 21-or-older.

The Attorney General’s Office clarified to Western Mass News that the letter is a request not a demand.

Erik Williams, chief operating officer of Canna Provisions, which is based in Massachusetts and uses billboard advertising on the highway, said that the company has no intention of removing the ads, despite the letter from Tong.

“If we capitulated to every prohibitionist’s whim or request, I would say that we would not have adult use cannabis in Massachusetts and certainly it wouldn’t be coming in Connecticut. … I believe that this is too far reaching of an insinuation that they have made against our company and other advertisers, against marketing firms, and against the other folks who have also gotten those letters.” – Williams to Western Mass News

In the letter, Tong said the billboards encourage customers to cross state lines with cannabis products, which is a federal crime, but Williams said that was not the case.

“We are continuing to talk to them and I told him that this is an important thing for us to look for,” Williams said in the report, “and we also want to really see that the Connecticut market actually thrives as well.”

Canna Provisions has no intention to take the billboard down, Williams said.

The report does not indicate whether the other six Massachusetts companies with billboards in Connecticut plan to honor the attorney general’s request.

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Connecticut Social Equity Council Seeking to Charter New Banks

10/08/2021

Members of Connecticut’s Social Equity Council are asking regulators to charter new banks to back the state’s cannabis industry, specifically, to help provide better opportunities for potential social equity applicants, WSHU Public Radio reports. The social equity council is responsible for ensuring the sale of adult-use cannabis in the state provides business opportunities for low-income and communities of color that are disproportionately impacted by the war on drugs.

Councilmember Joseph Williams, who is with the Connecticut Small Business Development Center at the University of Connecticut, said he was concerned that the state’s cannabis market will be oversaturated with cannabis producers and vendors and also wants regulators to control the number of industry permits.

“They need to source capital. One of the biggest things around social equity that has eluded us is the lack of capital and I find we really need to address that as quickly as possible.” — Williams via WSHU

The council plans give individuals with a previous cannabis arrest or conviction priority for an industry license regardless of their wealth as long as they came from certain neighborhoods affected by the over-policing. The plan covers 35 Connecticut cities and towns, the report says.

The state could help finance industry licensing fees, which are set at $1,000 broadly and at $500 for social equity applicants. The state estimates cannabis-derived taxes and fees could reach as much as $40 million per year. Under state law, sales tax revenues generated from sales could be reinvested by the council.

Sales are not expected to roll out in the state until late 2022.

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Medical Cannabis Patients in Connecticut Can Cultivate Cannabis on Oct. 1

9/22/2021

Beginning October 1, medical cannabis patients in Connecticut can grow their own medicine, the Hartford Courant reports. Patients 18-and-older will be allowed to grow six plants individually and up to 12 plants regardless of the number of adult occupants in the home.

The reforms that take effect October 1 also outlaw giving cannabis “to a domesticated animal” and violating those provisions could lead to Class C misdemeanor charges.

The law is separate from the state’s adult-use legalization law, which was approved by lawmakers in June and will allow adults 21-and-older to grow their own cannabis starting in July 2023.

The law also includes new restrictions on tobacco use that ban smoking within 25 feet of buildings that cater to the general public, including restaurants and retail stores. Communities with more than 50,000 people must designate areas where individuals can consume cannabis, but the decision on where those locations must be is up to municipalities.

The law also bars smoking in hotels, motels, prisons, and psychiatric facilities, among others, and special smoking rooms that had been previously allowed by large employers will no longer be permitted, the report says. The general rule is that a person can smoke cannabis anywhere they can smoke cigarettes; however, towns retain the authority to make the final decisions based on local zoning rules.

Cannabis possession by adults under the broad legalization law took effect July 1. Those provisions allow adults to possess up to 1.5 ounces of cannabis.

Earlier this month, Connecticut Commissioner for the Department of Consumer Protection, Michelle Seagull, said that the timeline for adult-use sales may be delayed, noting that while officials have “been suggesting that there will likely be sales by the end of 2022” they would “have to see how things play out in the next few months.”

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Connecticut Cannabis Regulator Predicts Adult-Use Delays

9/10/2021

The Connecticut Commissioner for the Department of Consumer Protection said that the state’s timeline for adult-use cannabis sales may take longer than legislators first thought, according to The Connecticut Examiner. Commissioner Michelle Seagull made the comments to an audience at a breakfast hosted by the CT Chamber of Commerce. She told the Examiner at the event the anticipated timeline may be delayed.

“We’ve been suggesting that there will likely be sales by the end of 2022, and we’re still aspiring for that. Obviously, we have to see how things play out in the next few months.” — Michelle Seagull, via the CT Examiner

Seagull said unknowns like who will qualify for a social equity license could contribute to the hold-up—these decisions are yet to be made by the Social Equity Council, a 15-member group recently appointed by Gov. Ned Lamont (D) and state legislators tasked with developing a social equity application criteria.

In response to an audience question about how the state will weed out “large corporations trying to circumvent rules,” Seagull told the group the Council needs to “take a look at ownership and corporate documents to understand who truly controls the business.”

Attendee Kurt Smith, who owns a Massachusetts cannabis producer and works for Fuss and Neil, a grow-site designing firm, said the “capital-intensive nature of this business makes it difficult for these companies to start up.” Consequently, “the ancillary business market is going to see … a lot of opportunity here,”

Smith, a Connecticut medical cannabis patient himself, backed up Seagull’s predictions, telling the gathering, “It’s going to take longer than everybody thinks.”

“It’s not going to happen on that timetable,” he said, “because it always takes extra time to get these things right.”

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Connecticut Releases List of Social Equity Priority Cannabis License Areas

8/06/2021

The Connecticut Social Equity Council on Thursday approved a list of 215 disproportionately impacted areas that will be prioritized for retail cannabis licenses and social equity programs, the CT Mirror reports. The state legalization law defines these areas as having either a historical conviction rate for drug-related offenses greater than one-tenth, or an unemployment rate greater than 10%, as determined by the Social Equity Council.

Democratic Gov. Ned Lamont said the state regulations were about giving people from these areas a chance to gain a foothold in the new industry, which is expected to launch next year. The data defining the areas shows two-thirds of drug convictions between 1982 and 2020 took place in the tracts, despite that they contained just 20% of the state’s population.

“A lot of folks from better neighborhoods, they always can start with a group called ‘friends and family.’ Well, not all communities have folks they can go to for capital from friends and family. Well, we’re your friends and family, right here. We’ve got a group of folks who have investment experience, management experience, understanding of the communities, and the importance of social justice.”— Lamont via the Mirror

Social equity business applicants in Connecticut must be at least 65% owned and controlled by people who had an average household income of less than 300% of the state’s median household income over the last three tax years, and either be a resident of one of the communities identified by the state for at least five of the last 10 years or have spent at least nine years living in one of the areas before they turned 18-years-old.

Corrie Betts, the criminal justice chair of the Connecticut State Conference of the NAACP and member of the council, told the Mirror that he found it “just a bit troubling to be voting on a disproportionate area on our first meeting without really having” discussions about the impact of the War on Drugs in-depth prior to the vote.

The state is expected to begin accepting applications for social equity applicants to participate in the cannabis business accelerator program by October 1.

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Connecticut Community College Offers Cannabis Horticulture Course

8/03/2021

Connecticut’s Naugatuck Valley Community College (NVCC) is set to offer an online pilot cannabis cultivation course this fall to current Horticulture majors. This course will focus on soils, plant biology, plant nutrition, pest management issues, and harvesting.

Connecticut lawmakers approved adult-use cannabis legalization reforms in June and portions of the law—including use and possession—took effect July 1.

Christopher J. Tuccio, program coordinator of Horticulture and professor of Horticulture in NVCC’s STEM Division, said that as cannabis legalization reforms pass throughout the U.S. “it is important to train new horticulturists on the techniques and science of cannabis cultivation.”

“I am very happy to be adding new, diverse course offerings such as this to our Horticulture curriculum at NVCC. This is a burgeoning field within the industry. Students would do well to learn about the future prospects of this field.”—Tuccio in a press release

NVCC is the only community college in Connecticut that offers a horticulture degree.

Last year, Connecticut’s Quinebaug Valley Community College (QVCC) debuted a certificate program in cannabis studies—the first in the state to offer the track. That program includes classes in alternative medicine, botany, business, and communications. While the program offers horticulture classes, QVCC does not offer a standalone horticulture degree program.

Students enrolled in QVCC’s Cannabis Studies program study the legal challenges confronting cannabis farming, production, and consumer use; cannabis cultivation techniques and the cannabinoid extraction processes; farming economics; government regulations and laws affecting small business; and developing opportunities in western and alternative medicines and therapies.

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Connecticut Accused of Shutting Down Consumer Cannabis Info Website

7/23/2021

The Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection (DCP) is being accused of shutting down a cannabis information website over its use of cannabis strain names, the Hartford Courant reports. DCP Spokeswoman Kaitlyn Krasselt told the Courant that the owners of Terp Street had agreed to remove the so-called “street names” for cannabis from the website after being contacted by the agency but then decided to shut down the site instead.

DCP does not allow the use of standard strain names for medical cannabis products—such as “Fruity Pebbles,” “Wedding Cake,” and “Do-si-dos”—because officials cannot verify the strain purchased outside of the regulated market is the same as that purchased at licensed dispensaries.

“Additionally many of the names are inappropriate for medical products and in several cases would appeal to children or inappropriately encourage recreational use of medical products. If they’re not getting adequate information about what’s prescribed they should definitely let us know that. It’s a shame that they feel this website is the only place they’re getting their information.” — Krassalt to the Courant

Earlier this month, the state launched its own cannabis information website which includes information on what parts of the state’s adult-use law are currently in effect and on the state’s medical cannabis program.

The shutdown of the site has led to criticism of DCP on social media, including claims that dispensary managers notified the agency about the site.

Carl Tirella, general manager in Connecticut of Acreage Holdings—the parent company of the dispensaries accused of notifying state officials—indicated that employees from Terp Street contacted the company’s dispensaries two years ago asking them to share information about their products. In a statement to the Courant, he neither confirmed nor denied whether managers at the dispensaries informed the DCP.

“We appreciate those in Connecticut who advocate for cannabis education as we ourselves are strong advocates for cannabis accessibility, affordability, and education,” he said in the statement to the Courant. “We believe—and it is always our intent—in providing as much medicinal cannabis information as possible with patients in Connecticut.”

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