When Connecticut legalized cannabis for all adults 21 and older in July 2021, only people with prescriptions could buy it in state.
That will soon change.
In early December, the state Department of Consumer Protection announced that adult-use cannabis sales will begin on Jan. 10, at 10 a.m. Nine dispensaries, with two in Eastern Connecticut, all pre-existing as medical dispensaries, will sell recreational product as hybrid dispensaries.
The list is Affinity in New Haven, Blue Point Wellness in Torrington, Willow Brook Wellness in Meriden, The Botanist locations in Danbury and Montville, and Fine Fettle Dispensary locations in Newington, Stamford, and Willimantic.
Each adult-use customer is limited to purchasing a quarter ounce of cannabis flower, or its equivalent, per transaction. Some examples of this amount the Department of Consumer Protection gives include seven 1-gram joints, or two to four vape cartridges between .5ml and 1ml.
Finally having a date is exciting after a year and half of work, said Ben Zacks, chief operating officer of Fine Fettle Dispensary. From zoning and construction, to adding new inventory and hiring 40 new employees per location – enough to have a built-in workforce for future locations – Zacks has been busy.
“To do that with a fictional date of ‘the future’ is hard,” he said. “To put a nail in it is an exciting, great opportunity.”
When will Norwich open retail cannabis shops?
While Norwich doesn’t have retail cannabis on day one, the city has put a lot of effort into attracting the legal cannabis industry. Those first months when shops in other municipalities will be open will give an idea of what the local market is like, and the financial and social impact, said Kevin Brown, president of the Norwich Community Development Corporation.
“It’s an informing time,” he said. “We’ll be able to get a better sense of the market in the first few months after they open up.”
Norwich’s future in the cannabis industry is progressing, as the sale of the former Mr. Big’s to a grower has been finalized, and construction for retail on West Main Street is ongoing, Brown said.
As other towns nearby, including Waterford, reject the industry, Norwich gains a competitive advantage, said Norwich Mayor Peter Nystrom.
“We’ll be fine,” he said. “We just want everyone to be responsible with this product.”
What do retail shop sales mean for medical marijuana patients?
The state urges medical marijuana patients to purchase what they need for the month ahead of the adult-use sale date or to visit a medical-only establishment, due to expected traffic and lines.
Looking ahead, Fine Fettle will still prioritize the needs of its medical marijuana patients. It is possible to see some growth in medical marijuana from legalization of recreational marijuana and its market, Zacks said.
“We expect there’s going to be a sheer volume expansion,” he said, “Connecticut’s medical program is quite small from a penetration standpoint, with 50,000 patients in a state with 3.6 million people.”
The destigmatization of cannabis use, diverse employment and ownership in the industry, and tax revenue benefitting communities is the impact Zacks said he wants adult-use cannabis to have.
What will the first few days of retail cannabis sales look like in CT?
Montville’s government will meet with staff from Acreage Holdings, the owners of The Botanist, to figure out how to handle traffic opening day, though Mayor Ronald McDaniel said he wishes there was more time to prepare.
“It’s a very busy place, and I know it’s going to be busy because there’s only two on the east of the Connecticut River,” he said.
Fine Fettle is also concerned about traffic, and is hoping to keep its parking spots freed up for day one customers, asking media to park elsewhere that day. Normally, Fine Fettle’s three dispensaries serve 250 to 500 patients each in a day. The company expects up to three times that many customers in the first few days of recreational sales, Zacks said.
“We think there’s going to be a lot of hoopla and a lot of hard work, but we’re going to be operationally prepared,” he said.
Acreage Holdings did not respond to The Bulletin’s request for comment.
