MJBizMag January 2023 - 22

INDUSTRY DEVELOPMENTS State by State
Connecticut
Seven retailers in Connecticut will ring up the first recreational cannabis sales in the state sometime
after 10 a.m. ET on Jan. 10.
The state Department of Consumer Protection (DCP) informed the seven existing medical marijuana
dispensaries they had " successfully completed the necessary steps for conversion to a hybrid license, " the
agency announced in a statement.
The seven dispensaries are:
* Affinity Health & Wellness, New Haven.
* Bluepoint Wellness, Branford.
* The Botanist, Danbury and Montville (The Botanist is an Acreage Holdings subsidiary).
* Fine Fettle Dispensary, Newington, Stamford and Willimantic.
* Still River Wellness, Torrington.
* Willow Brook Wellness, Meriden.
Sales will be limited to a " a total of ¼ ounce of cannabis flower or its equivalent per transaction, "
according to the DCP.
Annual sales could exceed $375 million next year, according to the 2022 MJBiz Factbook.
With roughly 53,000 registered medical marijuana patients, MMJ sales in Connecticut were projected
to be as high as $210 million in 2022.
Initially, state authorities expected retail sales to begin by May 2022.
Licenses were issued via a lottery to qualified applicants, who then had to provide additional
information, including a background check, and pay state fees before receiving provisional licenses.
Kentucky
Gov. Andy Beshear signed an executive order, effective Jan. 1, making it legal for Kentucky residents
who have one of 21 medical conditions to possess up to 8 ounces of marijuana.
A requirement under the order is that those residents must have a receipt for a medical marijuana
purchase in another state.
And therein lies the rub: Kentuckians cannot legally purchase medical marijuana from the nearest
states with MMJ programs. That means Kentucky residents seeking marijuana treatments must visit
states that sell recreational cannabis products.
Legalizing medical marijuana in Kentucky is a goal for Beshear, who said in September he will take
executive action to authorize MMJ after legislation stalled in the state Senate.
Maine
Medical cannabis caregivers without brick-and-mortar locations can resume selling marijuana pre-rolls
in the state.
That decision comes from state Attorney General Aaron Frey, who overturned an October decision
by the Maine Office of Cannabis Policy.
The October decision mandated that any licensee seeking to sell marijuana pre-rolls " must obtain a
retail tobacco license ... whether or not they contain nicotine. "
But Frey said the state's current law is unclear and he will not prosecute registered MMJ caregivers
for selling those products. The attorney general also suggested that state lawmakers clear up the issue
during the 2023 session.
However, Brandon Pollock, CEO of Theory Wellness, told the Associated Press in October that the
original guidance " won't have an impact on adult recreational-use retailers because they're already
licensed for tobacco. "
22 January 2023 | MJBizMagazine

https://mjbizdaily.com/kentucky-gov-says-hell-issue-decree-establishing-medical-cannabis-market/

MJBizMag January 2023

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of MJBizMag January 2023