Legal cannabis sales to begin Jan. 10
Conn.’s first legal pot shops will open in 9 different communities across the state
Connecticut’s first legal cannabis shops will open next month.
The Department of Consumer Protection announced Friday morning that it has notified nine existing medical marijuana dispensaries in the state that they can begin selling recreational pot to all adults 21 and older as soon as 10 a.m. on Jan. 10.
“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,” DCP Commissioner Michelle H. Seagull said in a written statement.
Customers will be able to buy up to a quarter ounce of cannabis at a time. DCP said purchase limits will continue to be reviewed over time and help maintain adequate supply for both adult-use consumers and medical marijuana patients, who can now purchase up to five ounces of cannabis per month. Connecticut’s purchase limit is below other Northeast states such as Massachusetts and New Jersey, which allow people to purchase up to an ounce of cannabis.
DCP is advising medical patients to purchase any necessary medication before the start of recreational sales, or at one of the nine medical-only dispensaries in the state, as long lines and traffic are expected during the opening weeks of the new marketplace.
“A lot of states that were very early to open had huge lines and shortages. But I think because we have neighboring states that have had this open for a bit, particularly Massachusetts, it’s unclear if we’re going to have that same degree of pent-up demand in Connecticut,” Seagull said during a virtual press con
ference Friday.
Connecticut’s recreational market is launching four years after Massachusetts became the first state on the East Coast to open legal pot stores. Recreational sales began in New Jersey in April and New York is on the precipice of launching its legal market. Rhode Island gave the green light to its existing medical marijuana dispensaries to sell recreational pot starting Dec. 1.
Possession and use of up to 1.5 oz of cannabis became legal in Connecticut on July 1, 2021, but it has taken the state about 18 months to set up a regulated marketplace.
To start, nine existing medical marijuana dispensaries will be the first to sell in the recreational market. These dispensaries have completed the steps necessary to begin sales on Jan. 10:
Affinity, New Haven Bluepoint Wellness of Connecticut, Branford
Still River Wellness, Torrington
Fine Fettle Dispensary, Newington
Fine Fettle Dispensary, Stamford
Fine Fettle Dispensary, Willimantic
The Botanist, Danbury The Botanist, Montville Willow Brook Wellness, Meriden
By law, there had to be at least 250,000 square feet of grow and manufacturing space approved statewide before retail pot shops could open. As of this week, all four existing medical producers completed the steps necessary to supply both the adultuse cannabis and medical marijuana markets, reaching the 250,000 square feet threshold. The four producers are Advanced Grow Labs, Connecticut Pharmaceutical Solutions, Curaleaf and Theraplant.
In a statement Friday, the Connecticut Medical Cannabis Council, which represents the four producers, said “patients and consumers can be confident that our products, which will be sold at the nine licensed hybrid retailers, are laboratory tested and labeled with detailed information about their content.”
As of Friday morning, 42 new cannabis business had received provisional licenses from the state to operate in the adult-use market. Those establishments are expected to open over the course of 2023 depending on how quickly they can find locations, receiving zoning proposal and complete other steps to become operational.
An additional 100 businesses are in various stages of the licensing process, Seagull said. That includes 80 social equity applications. Most cannabis licenses are being awarded through a lottery process with separate lotteries for equity applicants, who must meet certain criteria, and non-equity applicants.
Andréa Comer, deputy commissioner at DCP and chair of the Social Equity Council, said it’s hard to predict when those new businesses will open.
“I anticipate that certainly by the end of the first half of the year, we should be seeing some of those businesses ready to go,” Comer said during Friday’s virtual press conference. “It really is up to the business and how quickly they’re able to identify their space, get their zoning approvals, hire their employees.”
Businesses have 14 months from the time they receive a provisional license to complete the necessary steps to get a final license and operate in the adult-use market. Comer said certain license types such as delivery services may be able to enter the market sooner than others such as retailers.