The Department of Consumer Protection announced Friday morning that it has notified some of the existing medical marijuana dispensaries in the state that they can begin selling recreational pot to all adults 21 and over as soon as 10 a.m. on Jan. 10.
“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,” DCP Commissioner Michelle H. Seagull said in a written statement.
Customers will be able to buy up to a quarter ounce of cannabis at a time. DCP said purchase limits will continue to be reviewed over time and help maintain adequate supply for both adult-use consumers and medical marijuana patients, who can purchase up to five ounces of cannabis per month.
DCP is advising medical patients to purchase any necessary medication before Jan. 10, or at one of the nine medical-only dispensaries in the state, as long lines and traffic are expected during the opening weeks of adult-use sales.
Connecticut’s recreational market is launching four years after Massachusetts became the first state on the East Coast to open legal pot stores. Recreational sales began in New Jersey in April and New York is on the precipice of launching its legal market. Rhode Island gave the green light to its existing medical marijuana dispensaries to sell recreational pot starting Dec. 1.
Possession and use of up to 1.5 oz of cannabis became legal in Connecticut on July 1, 2021, but it has taken the state about 18 months to set up a regulated marketplace.
To start, nine existing medical marijuana dispensaries will be the first to sell in the recreational market. The following dispensaries have completed the steps necessary to begin sales on Jan. 10:
- Affinity, New Haven
- Bluepoint Wellness of Connecticut, Branford
- Still River Wellness, Torrington
- Fine Fettle Dispensary, Newington
- Fine Fettle Dispensary, Stamford
- Fine Fettle Dispensary, Willimantic
- The Botanist, Danbury
- The Botanist, Montville
- Willow Brook Wellness, Meriden
By law, there had to be at least 250,000 square feet of grow and manufacturing space approved statewide before retail pot shops could open. As of this week, all four existing medical producers completed the steps necessary to supply both the adult-use cannabis and medical marijuana markets. The four producers are Advanced Grow Labs, Connecticut Pharmaceutical Solutions, Curaleaf and Theraplant.
Dozens of new cannabis business have received provisional licenses from the state to operate in the new adult-use market but those establishments are not expected to be operational until later next year.
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