Regulated sales of adult-use cannabis will begin in
next month, according to an announcement from state regulators released last week. The Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection (DCP) said on Friday that the agency has notified so-call hybrid retailers — existing medical marijuana dispensaries newly licensed to also sell recreational marijuana — that they can begin sales of adult-use cannabis on Tuesday, January 10, 2023.“I am proud of the hard work our team has done to meet the goal of opening adult-use sales in a safe, well-regulated market,” DCP Commissioner Michelle H. Seagull
from the agency. “We know that many people are excited to participate in this marketplace, whether as a business or a consumer, and we encourage adults who choose to purchase and consume these products to do so responsibly once sales begin on January 10.”The DCP noted that last week, the state’s cannabis Social Equity Council determined that Connecticut’s existing medical marijuana producers have met the requirements for and expanded license that allows them to produce cannabis for both patients and recreational marijuana customers. Under state law, “at least 250,000 square feet of growing and manufacturing space in the aggregate be approved for adult-use production before retail sales can begin at licensed retailers, including hybrid retailers,” the agency noted. All four of the state’s producers have now successfully converted, and together they have reached the 250,000-square-foot minimum.
Connecticut Adult-Use Cannabis Sales Will Launch With Purchase Limits
When recreational cannabis sales begin in Connecticut next month, purchases will be limited to a quarter ounce of dried cannabis flower or the equivalent in other cannabis products per transaction. The DCP noted that the purchase limits will be put in place to ensure that the cannabis industry has enough product to meet the needs of both medical marijuana patients and adult-use cannabis customers.
Medical marijuana patients will be able to purchase up to five ounces of cannabis per month. Patients were advised to purchase any needed medical cannabis prior to the beginning of retail adult-use sales next month in order to avoid the long lines and traffic in areas around the hybrid retailers that could come with the launch. Seagull noted that purchase limits will be reevaluated after retail sales begin and regulators have a chance to monitor product supplies.
“We’re going to continue evaluating how things play out as the market opens,”
. “It’s really hard to know what the demand may look like on those first days,” noting that product shortages have plagued some states when recreational marijuana sales began.The DCP noted that customers can purchase different kinds of products to make up the quarter-ounce equivalent limit on purchases, and added the following guidelines to explain the purchase limit:
- Up to 7 pre-rolled cigarettes that weigh 1 gram each, or 14 pre-rolled cigarettes that weigh 0.5 grams each. Or any combination up to 7 total grams, which equals 1/4 ounce.
- Two to four vape cartridges, which come in 0.5 mL and 1 mL sizes.
- Edibles vary by type and size. A standard-sized brownie or cookie can be the equivalent of 0.08 grams of cannabis flower. One edible serving cannot have more than 5 milligrams of THC.
- A combination of different product types that collectively amount to no more than ¼ of an ounce.
Michelle Bodian, an attorney at the cannabis and psychedelics law firm Vicente Sederberg LLP, noted that retail sales of cannabis in Connecticut will be limited to the state’s nine approved hybrid retailers. But she praised the state’s ability to transition to an adult-use market only 18 months after Governor Ned Lamont signed legislation legalizing recreational marijuana in June 2021.
“Even with the product limit, today is a day to celebrate,”
. “In 30 days, adult-use cannabis sales [in Connecticut] will commence. It’s worth noting that 1.5 years from legalization to sale is quick, as compared to many other states.”