In Connecticut, Cannabis Sales Will Start in January

Legal recreational cannabis sales will begin in Connecticut on January 10, 2023, the state’s cannabis regulator has announced.

In a notice published on December 12, the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection (DCP) announced that it had notified the state’s nine licensed “hybrid” retailers – pre-existing medical dispensaries that will soon be permitted to sell adult-use products, too – that they can begin selling such products from 10 am on Tuesday, January 10.

Cannabis in Connecticut

“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,” the DCP’s commissioner, Michelle H. Seagull, said in a statement.

“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.”

State law requires such producers to have at least 250,000 square feet of growing and manufacturing space to be approved for adult-use production.

According to Seagull and the DCP, all four existing medical cannabis producers in Connecticut have met the requirements for an expanded license, which will allow them to supply recreational and medical cannabis.

Recreational cannabis will be limited to 0.25 ounces (seven grams) of cannabis flower. Medical cannabis patients will continue to be limited to five ounces (141.7 grams) per month.

Patients in the state’s Medical Marijuana Program have been advised to purchase any necessary medication prior to January 10, as long lines and traffic are expected around the hybrid retailers during the opening weeks of adult-use sales.

Connecticut legalized recreational cannabis in July 2021. Like many other states that have been through this legalization process in the US, Connecticut has also put social justice provisions front and center in its legalization plan.

“The war on cannabis, which was at its core a war on people in Black and Brown communities, not only caused injustices and increased disparities in our state, it did little to protect public health and safety,” Governor Lamont said in a statement shortly after the legalization bill cleared the House and the Senate last year.

“That’s why I introduced a bill and worked hard with our partners in the legislature and other stakeholders to create a comprehensive framework for a securely regulated market that prioritizes public health, public safety, social justice, and equity.”