2020-21 Improvements and Recommendations

On July 1st, 2021, cannabis possession became legal for all adults over 21. The new laws include improvements and protections for the medical cannabis program as well: allowing at-home cultivation of up to six plants, increasing patient and caregiver possession limits to five ounces, allowing for medical cannabis delivery, giving the regulators the authority to add new qualifying conditions, and eliminating rules limiting patients to a single dispensary.

The new law also includes provisions which protect the existing infrastructure for patients. Though dispensaries can file for a change of location in their new co-location application, they are not allowed to move more than 10 miles and regulators can block a change of location application by a retailer to ensure that it remains where patients need it.

In 2022, ASA recommends Connecticut lawmakers consider changing some rules surrounding registration like allowing registrations longer than a single year and lowering registration fees of the medical cannabis program or allowing for certain individuals like Medicare recipients to apply for financial hardship waivers. The state also has a long way to go on its Consumer Protection and Product Safety section, missing critical aspects like required worker safety training for staff and falling dramatically short of acceptable independent laboratory standards.