HARTFORD – State officials are moving to finally adopt regulations for the recreational cannabis market nearly two years after legal sales commenced in Connecticut.
The retail market has been operating under an interim set of policies and procedures that the 2021 state law that legalized the adult-use of cannabis authorized the state Department of Consumer Protection to adopt until final regulations are enacted.
The department submitted its proposed regulations on Monday, and members of the public will have until 5 p.m. on Jan. 10 to submit written comments electronically through the state’s eRegulations system at eregulations.ct.gov/eRegsPortal/Browse/RecentRegulations.
The proposed regulations codify the policies and procedures that have governed the Connecticut cannabis industry since its start. The DCP said the proposed regulations will create clarity, stability and consistency in the regulation of the legal cannabis market.
The proposed regulations must be approved by the state legislature’s Legislative Regulation Review Committee to take effect. The bipartisan committee of 14 legislators must approve all state agency regulations.
In 2021, Connecticut became the 19th state to legalize the use and possession of cannabis for adults, and establish a legal and regulated cannabis market. A 2012 state law authorized medicinal use for specified medical conditions under a doctor’s order. The legislature previously decriminalized possession of small amounts of marijuana in 2011.
Through October, legal sales of cannabis totaled $308.6 million since the first seven retail outlets opened to recreational customers Jan. 10, 2023. Medical marijuana sales totaled $209.1 million. Information on the medical market was not reported until the start of recreational sales.
The more than $17.9 million in adult-use sales recorded in August is the monthly high since recreational sales started. The monthly record for medical-use sales remains more than $12.5 million set in March 2023.
More than 7.8 million adult-use products have been sold through Oct. 31, and 5.7 million medical-use products have been sold. The average price for adult-use products in October was $38.53, and the average price last month for medical-used products was $34.54.
There are 28 licensed adult-use retail dispensaries, and another 26 hybrid retailers that sell both adult- and medical-use products, and one medical dispensary.
There are three taxes on retail sale of cannabis in Connecticut: the state’s usual 6.35% sales tax and a state cannabis tax based on THC content that will cost approximately 10% to 15% of the sale price, plus a 3% sales tax dedicated to the city or town where the sale occurs.
The state has collected $28.4 million in cannabis taxes, including $15.7 million from the plant materials tax and $3.4 million from the edible products tax. State sales taxes based on $308.6 million of recreational sales works out to $19.6 million, and towns and cities have collected nearly $9.3 million in local sales taxes.
The DCP currently limits transactions to a half of an ounce of raw cannabis flower or the equivalent for other products per transaction. There are no limits on how many recreational purchases someone can make in a single day. There is a 5-ounce monthly limit for medical marijuana patients, and medical-use sales are not subject to individual transaction limits.
Different types and sizes of products may be purchased together up to a total of a half ounce of cannabis flower or its equivalent per transaction. Under state law, 1.5 ounces of cannabis plant material is equivalent to 7.5 grams of cannabis concentrate or any other cannabis products with up to 750 milligrams of THC, the main psychoactive compound in cannabis that produces the high sensation. Five ounces is equivalent to 25 grams of cannabis concentrate or any other cannabis products with up to 2,500 milligrams of THC.
By state law, people must be 21 or older to legally buy cannabis, and cannabis establishments may require identification as a condition of sale or delivery, including photographing a customer, or photocopying a driver’s license or state-issued identification card.
H/T: www.rep-am.com
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