Seven retailers in Connecticut will ring up the first recreational cannabis sales within the state someday after 10 a.m. ET on Jan. 10.
The state Division of Client Safety (DCP) knowledgeable the seven existing medical marijuana dispensaries that they had “efficiently accomplished the required steps for conversion to a hybrid license,” the company introduced in a press release.
The seven dispensaries are:
- Affinity Well being & Wellness in New Haven.
- Bluepoint Wellness, Branford.
- The Botanist, Danbury and Montville (The Botanist is an Acreage Holdings subsidiary).
- Fantastic Fettle Dispensary, Newington, Stamford and Willimantic.
- Nonetheless River Wellness, Torrington.
- Willow Brook Wellness, Meriden.
Gross sales can be restricted to a “a complete of ¼ ounce of hashish flower or its equal per transaction,” in line with the DCP.
Connecticut legalized cannabis in June 2021, when Gov. Ned Lamont signed Senate Invoice 1201 into legislation.
Annual gross sales may exceed $375 million subsequent 12 months, in line with the 2022 MJBiz Factbook.
With roughly 53,000 registered medical marijuana sufferers, MMJ gross sales in Connecticut had been projected to be as excessive as $210 million in 2022.
Initially, Lamont and different state authorities anticipated retail gross sales to start by Might 2022.
However Connecticut didn’t start accepting purposes for one of many restricted variety of licenses obtainable till February 2022, plus shops are usually not allowed to open until the state approves at the least 250,000 sq. ft of cultivation and manufacturing area.
There are 9 license varieties in Connecticut, and a complete of 56 licenses can be issued beneath the DCP’s guidelines.
Licenses had been issued by way of a lottery to certified candidates, who then needed to provide additional information, together with a background test, and pay state charges earlier than receiving provisional licenses.
Although Connecticut boasts what supporters say is a robust social equity program – with one social fairness license issued for each common allow – the very first gross sales gained’t embody fairness license holders.
And critics have additionally identified the steep price of doing hashish enterprise in Connecticut.
With a $3 million license fee, Connecticut is believed to have the most costly hashish allow within the nation.
