After much anticipation and breath-holding for the opening of recreational cannabis stores in Connecticut, it looks like we’re going to have to wait until 2023 before that becomes a reality. But, just like every smoke cloud has a silver lining, this delay may be beneficial.
The Ins And Outs
While the news may be an annoyance to some, we believe there is a silver lining with the postponement of adult-use cannabis retail launch in Connecticut. First, let’s look closely at what exactly is causing this delay and when we can expect the launch to finally occur.
Before retail cannabis shops can open in Connecticut, there need to be at least 250,000sq feet of growing and processing/manufacturing space that have to be approved statewide. This mandate is enforced by law and must be strictly adhered to before any stores can begin opening.
The majority of cannabis sold for adult use in Connecticut will come from the state’s four existing medical marijuana producers: Theraplant, Advanced Grow Labs, Connecticut Pharmaceutical Solutions, and Curaleaf.
Each of them has applied for growing licenses for the recreation-use market. But Theraplant, one of the four producers, only applied for a license on the 10th of November, meaning that their application is still under review by the DCP.
By law, and before cannabis sales can begin, the Department of Consumer Protection is required to provide a 30-day notice for retail cannabis sales to the manufacturers who have applied. As of now, there has yet to be a date set for the 30-day notice to go out. (Read more cannabis news for your city or state here: https://beardbrospharms.com/news/)
We See The Light!
Most likely, we’ll see Theraplant receive its license for the approval of growing adult-use cannabis in the next couple of months. This means that the adult-use launch in Connecticut will likely happen at the beginning of 2023, possibly as early as January.
There are currently over 50,000 medical marijuana patients residing in Connecticut. By law, there also needs to be enough supply before retail sales can open; otherwise, the state, and consumers, would need to wait for new producers to become operational, causing bottlenecks in the supply chain.
And this is the silver lining with the current delay in retail cannabis sales. Because while the delay may be frustrating, the flip side is that once retail sales open, Connecticut won’t be expected to have any supply chain issues or shortages.
The delay of the launch of retail cannabis sales by only a few months means that consumers will be able to enjoy fully stocked dispensaries for months to come. While this current delay might be frustrating, it’s a lot better than having no supply shortly after launch.
More Good News
The Department of Consumer Protection also recently announced that there are already seven medical cannabis dispensaries in the state that have completed the necessary steps to receive licenses for selling recreational marijuana.
This greatly benefits the Connecticut area and means that residents won’t have to visit other states to legally purchase recreational marijuana.
The state of Connecticut is also busy with approving cannabis business licenses which include micro-cultivator permits, provisional cultivator permits, and provisional retail licenses. All these announcements mean that once adult-use retail finally launches early next year, consumers will have various dispensaries and retailers to choose from.
When it’s all said and done, the delay of the launch is frustrating, but there is a bright, positive side we can all look forward to. Once the launch takes off early next year, we’ll see a booming recreational-use cannabis industry finally take off.
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