Connecticut launches recreational cannabis sales

Regulated sales of recreational marijuana began Tuesday in Connecticut, less than two years after the state legalized cannabis for adult use. Adult cannabis is now available at seven stores statewide, all existing medical marijuana dispensaries licensed as hybrid retailers to serve recreational customers.

Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont signed a recreational marijuana law into law in June 2021, removing the ban on cannabis possession by adults 21 and older and creating a framework for regulated adult cannabis sales. The bill also included measures to restore justice and social justice, including provisions that resulted in the overturning of nearly 43,000 marijuana-related convictions last week. Efforts to legalize recreational marijuana in Connecticut have been led by Democrats, including the governor, who argued that regulating cannabis would protect consumers and help communities affected by enforcement of punitive drug laws.

“Today marks a turning point in the injustices caused by the war on drugs, especially now that there is a legal alternative to the dangerous, unregulated underground market for cannabis sales,” Lamont said in a statement Tuesday.

Medical marijuana dispensaries in Branford, Meriden, Montville, New Haven, Newington, Stamford and Willimantic are scheduled to open their doors to adult-use cannabis customers starting at 10 a.m. Tuesday. Two more, in Danbury and Torrington, are expected to open soon. According to media reports, up to 40 more cannabis dealers are expected to start operations by the end of the year.

Transition to a regulated cannabis economy

Adam Wood, president of the Connecticut Chamber of Cannabis Commerce, said Connecticut’s regulated marijuana industry is expected to create about 10,000 jobs for state workers over the next few years. He added that cannabis will generate hundreds of millions of dollars in new revenue that will be used to benefit communities harmed by nearly a century of marijuana prohibition.

“Today is historic, but the real story is about the benefits to come that will transform lives and communities,” Wood said in a statement.

Verano Holdings, a multistate cannabis company with operations in 13 states, entered the Connecticut medical marijuana market in 2021 with the acquisition of Connecticut Pharmaceutical Solutions (CT Pharma). The company on Tuesday began selling adult-use cannabis in the state at its Zen Leaf-brand dispensary, formerly Willow Brook Wellness, in the city of Meriden. George Archos, Verano’s co-founder and CEO, said the company is “proud to stand with Connecticut residents to celebrate the end of cannabis prohibition.”

“Legal cannabis in Connecticut will have a positive impact on the economy and local communities, and we are honored to celebrate this historic moment in the constitutional state,” Archos wrote in an email to High Times. “We are grateful for the leadership of Governor Ned Lamont, the Department of Consumer Protection, the local communities, our team members, medicinal cannabis patients and advocates in making this exciting day a reality.”

In addition to Zen Leaf Dispensary in Meriden, Verano’s Connecticut operations include CT Pharma, a 217,000-square-foot cultivation and processing facility in Rocky Hill, and Caring Nature in Waterbury, a medical dispensary that will soon begin selling to adults Zen Leaf retail brand.

Recreational cannabis purchases are limited to seven grams

Recreational marijuana sales will initially be limited to purchases of up to seven grams (about a quarter ounce) of cannabis flower, or the equivalent in other products, to ensure retailers have enough merchandise on hand to supply medical marijuana patients. The Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection will monitor cannabis stockpiles in the state to determine when adult-use cannabis purchase restrictions will be lifted.

Montville-based hybrid recreational and medical marijuana retail store Botanist is operated by New York-based multistate operator Acreage Holdings. Kate Nelson, the company’s senior vice president of the Midwest and Northwest regions, said she expects the dispensary’s previous customer count to increase by approximately 150% from 200 to 300 patients per day in the first week of adult cannabis sales. But after the initial excitement, sales are likely to flatten out.

“I think even before the 40 operators come online, you’re going to see less of that excitement about something new and more of what’s going to become of the status quo,” Nelson said. “We are now in an area of ​​the country where other states for adult use are nearby. So our primary focus will be to make sure, specifically in the state of Connecticut, that this adult program has the product it needs to have, and we can support the industry… to make sure Connecticut stands out from other competing markets.”