Connecticut

Connecticut

Cannabis is legal to all adults over the age of 21 in Connecticut. Patients and caregivers registered with the Department of Consumer Protection may purchase medical cannabis from state-licensed dispensaries. Any registered patient over the age of 18 may now grow up to three mature and three immature cannabis plants at home per individual, with a cap of 12 mature and immature plants per household. The same home grow rules will be in effect for all adults over 21 beginning in 2023.

The new adult use laws doubled the possession limit for patients and caregivers who may possess up to 5 ounces of cannabis; at the same time however, state regulators limited patients to 2.5 ounces of cannabis every 30 days in anticipation of product shortages brought on by recreational customers. Patients surveyed are frustrated that they are still limited to a single retailer, they are also irritated about inconsistent product availability at dispensaries, and feel the costs of being a medical cannabis patient are too burdensome.

Connecticut does not recognize out of state medical cannabis cards.

Patient Rights and Civil Protections	80/100
Arrest Protection 25/25 Affirmative Defense 20/20 Parental Rights Protections 10/20 Employment Protections 20/20 DUI Protections 0/10 Explicit Privacy Standards 5/5
Access to Medicine	60/100
Authorizes Retail Access 10/10 Alternative Accessibility Methods 20/20 - Authorizes Delivery 10/10 - Authorizes Curbside Pickup 10/10 Personal Cultivation 15/15 Collective Gardening 0/5 Sufficient Number of Licenced Retailers 15/30 Reciprocity 0/20
Program Functionality	78/100
Legal Protections Within Reasonable Time Frame 20/20 Reasonable Possession Limits 8/10 Reasonable Purchase Limits 6/10 Telemedicine for Physician Certifications 15/15 Patient and Physician Representation in Program Decision Making 10/20 Reasonable Caregiver Standards 5/5 - Background Checks 2/2 - Number of Caregivers 3/3 Reasonable Physician Standards 4/5 Access to Administration Methods 10/10 - Allows Dried Flower 5/5 - Allows Edibles, Concentrates, and Other Forms 5/5 Provides Access to Minors on School Grounds 0/5
Affordability	25/100
Sales Tax Break for Patients and Caregivers 15/20 Covered by State Insurance or Health Aid 0/20 Reasonable Registration Fees 10/20 Financial Hardship Waivers or Discounts 0/20 Donation Program 0/10 Allows Multi-Year Registrations 0/10
Health and Social Equity	85/100
State Program Protections 25/25 Housing Protections 25/25 Access for Minors 5/10 Access in Underserved Areas 5/10 List of Qualifying Conditions is Exhaustive or All Inclusive 10/10 Allows Patients to Medicate Where they Choose 5/10 Organ Transplants 5/5 Ownership or Employment Restrictions 5/5
Consumer Protection and Product Safety	90/200
Total 20/50 Quality Management Systems 10/10 Staff Training 0/10 Standard Operating Procedures 5/8 - Facility and Equipment Sanitation 1/1 - Workplace Safety 0/1 - Storage 1/1 - Batch and Lot Tracking 1/1 - Security 1/1 - Waste Disposal 0/1 - Water Management 0/1 - Records Management 1/1 Pesticide Usage Limitations 0/2 Environmental Impact Regulations 0/2 Required Testing 4/8 - Cannabinoids 0/1 - Terpenes 0/1 - Microbials 1/1 - Aflatoxins 1/1 - Pesticides 1/1 - Heavy Metals 1/1 - Foreign Matter 0/1 - Moisture Content/ Water Activity 0/1 Packaging and Labeling 1/3 - Cannabinoids 1/1 - Terpenes 0/1 - Pesticides 0/1 Complaints, Adverse Event Reporting, and Recall Protocol 0/7 Total 24/50 Quality Management Systems 10/10 Staff Training 0/10 Standard Operating Procedures 5/7 - Facility and Equipment Sanitation 1/1 - Workplace Safety 0/1 - Storage 1/1 - Batch and Lot Tracking 1/1 - Security 1/1 - Waste Disposal 0/1 - Records Management 1/1 Environmental Impact Regulations 0/3 Required Testing 5/10 - Cannabinoids 1/1 - Terpenes 0/1 - Microbials 1/1 - Aflatoxins 1/1 - Pesticides 1/1 - Heavy Metals 1/1 - Residual Solvents 0/1 - Homogeneity 0/1 - Foreign Matter 0/1 - Water Activity 0/1 Packaging and Labeling 1/5 - Cannabinoids 1/1 - Terpenes 0/1 - Ingredients 0/1 - Allergens 0/1 - Nutritional Content 0/1 Complaints, Adverse Event Reporting and Recall Protocol 3/5 Total 34/50 Staff Training 20/20 Standard Operating Procedures 4/7 - Facility Sanitation 0/1 - Workplace Safety 0/1 - Storage 1/1 - Batch and Lot Tracking 1/1 - Security 1/1 - Waste Disposal 0/1 - Records Management 1/1 Product Testing 10/10 - Product Meets Requirements Before Sale 5/5 - COA Disclosure 5/5 Complaints, Adverse Event Reporting and Recall Protocol 0/13 Total 12/50 Independent or Third-Party 5/5 Laboratory Sampling 5/5 Method Validation 0/4 Quality Management Systems 0/5 Staff Training 0/20 Standard Operating Procedures 0/7 - Facility and Equipment Sanitation 0/1 - Equipment and Instrument Calibration 0/1 - Workplace Safety 0/1 - Sample Tracking 0/1 - Security 0/1 - Waste Disposal 0/1 - Records Management 0/1 Result Reporting 2/4
Score Penalties	0/100
Gives Regulatory Preference to Adult Use 0/20 Classifies Cannabis as a Medicine of Last Resort 0/15 Administrative or Supply Problems 0/15 Requires Vertical Integration 0/10 Creates New Criminal Penalties for Patients 0/10 Limits Patients to a Single Retailer 0/10 No System for Adding Qualifying Conditions 0/10 Imposes Bans or Limits on THC 0/5 Imposes Bans or Limits on CBD 0/5
Excerpted from ASA's 2021 State of the States Report.