FAQ: Recreational cannabis dispensaries in CT
With the legalization of recreational cannabis last July, there is one thing on many Connecticut residents’ minds: when will the state see the opening of its first recreational dispensaries?
While medical dispensaries are sprinkled throughout the state, Connecticut residents will have to wait a little longer for recreational facilities to open in the state.
From dispensary offerings and cannabinoid breakdowns to the application process and the state’s Social Equity Council, here is what you need to know about dispensaries in Connecticut.
A dispensary is a store that legally sells adult-use cannabis products. Typically, these products are age-restricted and proper ID is needed to purchase cannabis products from a dispensary. Think of a pharmacy meets a liquor store.
Though medical dispensaries have been operating in Connecticut since 2014, recreational dispensaries are not yet open. Cannabis establishment applications opened on Feb. 3, however, some Connecticut towns have implemented moratoriums on accepting and approving applications.
The state has not revealed an exact date or time span for the opening of recreational dispensaries in Connecticut. Previous reporting from Hearst Connecticut estimates that recreational dispensaries will open sometime in 2022.
There are a number of recreational dispensaries around the Connecticut border, mainly in Massachusetts.
However, it should be noted that because cannabis has not been legalized on a national level, it is illegal to bring it over the state line, according to the Cannabis Control Commission of Massachusetts. You also cannot mail cannabis from Massachusetts to Connecticut.
If you choose to consume cannabis in Massachusetts, there are a number of laws as to where you are legally allowed to do so.
Medical dispensaries are used by patients who require cannabis products for a medicinal use. The Department of Consumer Protection issues medical marijuana cards that are distributed based on a list of “qualifying conditions,” which includes cancer, multiple sclerosis and muscular dystrophy among a number of other conditions. In order to get a medical marijuana card, you must first speak to your doctor to see if you qualify. A $100 fee is required to be paid to the DCP upon initially receiving your card as well as $100 annually to renew your card. A recertification appointment is also needed with your doctor in order to qualify annually for you card.
Some of the benefits of going to a medical dispensary include access to products with high THC levels, no taxes, product protection from shortages and access to regulated cannabis before the opening of recreational dispensaries.
There are 17 registered medical dispensaries located in Connecticut. They can be located here.
While menus will differ between different dispensaries, it is safe to assume that most dispensaries will have THC and CBD products in a variety of forms including prerolls, edibles (like gummies) and vape cartridges. Individual flowers and concentrates will most likely be available as well. Similar to our neighbors to north, Massachusetts, dispensaries will most likely boast a number of cannabis-related accoutrements such as rolling paper, pipes and grinders.
Connecticut offers 14 different types of applications under five umbrella categories — growing, manufacturing, sales, delivery and transportation and individual licenses and registrations. A breakdown of all 14 licenses can be viewed here.
The Social Equity Council was developed by the state in order to ensure that products from the adult-use cannabis program are “grown equitably” and that funds from the program are brought back to the areas hit the hardest by the “war on drugs,” according to the state’s website.
The state identified a number of areas throughout Connecticut that qualify as “Disproportionately Impacted Areas” in 2021, which are areas that have a “historical conviction rate for drug-related offenses greater than one-tenth, or an unemployment rate greater than ten percent.” The passed bill, Public Act 21-1, aims to encourage the participation of the cannabis industry in these areas.
The state has also started taking applications for Equity Joint Ventures, which are business entities that partner with a producer or dispensary, and are at least 50 percent owned by individuals who: Had an income of three times less that the state median household income over the last three tax years, were a resident in a “Disproportionately Impacted Area” for five of the last 10 years or were a resident in a “Disproportionately Impacted Area” for at least nine years before turning 18.
According to the state, Equity Joint Ventures are not subject to the lottery and must be approved by the Social Equity Council before being granted a provisional license.
There are also Social Equity Partners, which are business entities that must be at least 65 percent owned by individuals who fall under the same social equity prerequisites as the Equity Joint Ventures. Social Equity Partners also are not subject to the lottery and have the ability to join an Equity Joint Venture in order “to provide them grow space, mentorship and overhead costs, in exchange for a reduction in the cost of the expansion process.”
There will be two different lottery processes: a social equity lottery and a general lottery.
At least half of the applications will be awarded to the social equity lottery. The prerequisites for that lottery are the same as the Equity Joint Ventures. The Department of Consumer Protection will notify a third-party lottery operator of the social equity applicants and after that, the first lottery commences.
The lottery operator provides the DCP with numerical rankings for each applicant, by which time the Social Equity Council will go through each chosen application to ensure that they are indeed a social equity applicant.
After the social equity applications have been chosen, a second lottery will be conducted for the general lottery, which includes non-social equity applications, social equity applications that were not chosen in the first round and applicants chosen during the first round that were not classified as social equity applicants.