Fairfield County Cannabis – Is It Legal & Where To Buy 2024

Is Cannabis Cultivation Legal in Fairfield County?

Cannabis cultivation in Fairfield County for medical and adult use is legal in compliance with the State of Connecticut’s Public Act 12-55 or the Palliative Use of Marijuana Act of 2012, and Public Act 21-1 or the Responsible and Equitable Regulation of Adult-Use Cannabis Act (RERACA) of 2021. The Act allows each municipality to hold a referendum on whether to allow cannabis businesses within its territory if 10% of its voters ask for it. Following are the stances of the various Fairfield County municipalities on adult-use cannabis businesses:

Allow adult-use cannabis businesses:

• Bridgeport

• Brookfield

• Danbury

• Norwalk

• Redding

Disallow adult-use cannabis businesses:

• Bethel

• Darien

• Greenwich

• Monroe

• New Canaan

• Newtown

• Weston

• Westport

• Wilton

Moratorium on adult-use cannabis businesses:

• Fairfield

• Ridgefield

• Shelton

• Trumbull

No current data on the stand on adult-use cannabis businesses:

• Easton

• New Fairfield

• Sherman

• Stamford

RERACA states, though, that all municipalities are mandated to permit cannabis personal cultivation at home by medical cannabis cardholders who are at least 18 years old starting on October 1, 2021, and by any adult who is at least 21 years old starting on July 1, 2023. A maximum of three immature and three mature plants may be owned by each qualifying individual. The number of plants that can be kept in a household with many qualified adults is a maximum of 12. Cannabis must be grown for personal use indoors, out of sight of others. Personal growers are required to make sure that children cannot access cannabis plants or their byproducts.

Businesses seeking to cultivate cannabis commercially in the Fairfield County localities that accept it must first apply to the State of Connecticut's Department of Consumer Protection (DCP) for only one of the following:

• an adult-use cannabis micro-cultivator license

• an adult-use cannabis cultivator license

The adult-use cannabis micro-cultivator license allows the cultivation of cannabis in an area of 2,000 to 10,000 square feet only. An extension to a 25,000-square-foot maximum can be applied for with the DCP, subject to its approval. If the firm wants to expand more, it can file for a change to a cultivator license. A $250 initial lottery application fee must be paid, followed by $500 for a provisional application, and $1,000 for the annual license.

The adult-use cannabis cultivator license allows for the cultivation of cannabis in an area of at least 15,000 square feet and more. Payment of a $1,000 initial lottery application fee, a $25,000 provisional application fee, and a $75,000 yearly license fee are all required.

Existing medical cannabis producer licensees may apply for conversion to an expanded producer license to also be able to cultivate cannabis for adult use. There will be no new medical cannabis producer licenses issued.

All types of licensed cannabis cultivators are allowed to cultivate their crops outdoors, but these must be shielded from public view.

Is Cannabis Manufacturing Legal in Fairfield County?

Medical and adult-use cannabis product manufacturing in Fairfield County is legal pursuant to Public Act 12-55 and Public Act 21-1, but only in the five municipalities that voted for it.

Businesses must first apply to the DCP for only one of the following licenses to be able to manufacture medical and adult-use cannabis products commercially in Fairfield County municipalities that allow it:

• an adult-use cannabis product manufacturer license

• an adult-use cannabis food and beverage manufacturer license

The adult-use cannabis product manufacturer license permits the holder to manufacture, package, and label cannabis products. The initial application fee for the lottery is $750, and this is followed by a provisional application charge of $5,000, and a final licensing fee of $25,000 a year.

The adult-use cannabis food and beverage manufacturer license permits the holder to process foods and beverages infused or incorporated with cannabis. The initial application lottery fee is $250, with a subsequent provisional application charge of $1,000, and a final licensing fee of $5,000 a year.

Foods and drinks with medical and adult-use cannabis can only include a maximum of five milligrams of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) in each serving. A package of edible cannabis with multiple servings cannot contain more than 100 THC milligrams. Drinks must only be sold in single portions.

Is Cannabis Retail Legal in Fairfield County?

Medical and adult-use cannabis retail in Fairfield County is legal as stipulated by Public Act 12-55 and Public Act 21-1 but limited to the five municipalities that voted to allow it.

Businesses that want to sell medical and adult-use cannabis and cannabis products in Fairfield County municipalities that accept them must acquire a prior adult-use cannabis retailer license or adult-use cannabis hybrid retailer license from the DCP. They can only have one of these.

Only adults 21 years old and older may purchase adult-use cannabis from a licensed adult-use cannabis retailer. The licensed adult-use cannabis hybrid retailer, on the other hand, may sell both medical cannabis to medical cannabis cardholders and adult-use cannabis to adults 21 and older. A $500 application lottery fee, a $5,000 provisional application fee, and a $25,000 final annual licensing fee are required for both licenses.

The DCP is not issuing any new medical cannabis dispensary permits. Existing medical cannabis dispensary licensees may seek a license conversion to an adult-use cannabis hybrid retailer license.

On January 10, 2023, licensed stores began selling adult-use cannabis and cannabis products, according to a DCP report. Medical marijuana cardholders may purchase a total of five ounces of medical cannabis in any number of transactions within a month. Non-cardholders aged 21 and older may now only purchase up to one-fourth ounce at every transaction, according to the DCP update.

Cannabis in capsule, sublingual, tablet, pill, and suppository form may only be bought by those who have a medical marijuana card. Adults who are 21 and older, as well as medical marijuana cardholders, are permitted to buy any of the other forms of cannabis and cannabis products, such as cannabis-infused drinks and food, among others.

Is Cannabis Delivery Legal in Fairfield County?

Medical and adult-use cannabis delivery all over Fairfield County is legal in accordance with RERACA which does not allow any municipality to ban it. Delivery is only permitted through an adult-use cannabis delivery service or an adult-use cannabis transporter licensed by the DCP.

The licensee for adult-use cannabis delivery services is permitted to deliver to medical marijuana cardholders or people aged 21 and up the cannabis and cannabis products bought from licensed retailers. The licensee must pay a $250 lottery application charge, a $1,000 provisional application charge, and a $5,000 final licensing annual fee.

The adult-use cannabis transporter licensee is only allowed to transport cannabis and cannabis products between licensed cannabis companies. The licensee must pay equivalent fees.

RERACA allows presently operational medical cannabis dispensaries to deliver medical cannabis purchases to medical cannabis cardholders for up to 30 days after the first five adult-use cannabis delivery service licensees begin operations.

How to Get a Medical Marijuana Card in Fairfield County

Residents of Fairfield County who are not incarcerated may seek a medical cannabis card through the Medical Marijuana Program of the State of Connecticut. Applicants must be receiving treatment for the qualifying disabling illnesses from a qualified licensed doctor, physician assistant, or advanced practice registered nurse.

Adult candidates must have one of the following diseases diagnosed:

• Terminal illness

• Parkinson’s disease

• Glaucoma

• Cancer

• Epilepsy

• HIV/AIDS

• Severe psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis

• Damage to the spinal cord with intractable spasticity

• Multiple sclerosis

• Wasting syndrome

• Cachexia

• Irreversible spinal cord injury with intractable spasticity

• Crohn's disease

• Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

• PTSD

• Complex regional pain syndrome, Type 1 and Type II

• Fibromyalgia with spasticity or neuropathic pain

• Cerebral palsy

• Cystic fibrosis

• Postherpetic neuralgia

• Uncontrolled intractable seizure disorder

• Severe rheumatoid arthritis

• Post-laminectomy syndrome with chronic radiculopathy

• Intractable headache syndromes

• Neuropathic facial pain

• Osteogenesis imperfecta

• Hydrocephalus with intractable headache

• Ehlers-Danlos syndrome with chronic pain

• Sickle cell disease

• Degenerative spinal disorders with chronic neuropathic pain

• Muscular dystrophy

• Ulcerative colitis

• Median Arcuate Ligament Syndrome (MALS)

• Interstitial cystitis

• Vulvodynia and vulvar burning

• Intractable neuropathic pain unresponsive to standard medical treatments

• Chronic pancreatitis

• Tourette Syndrome

• Chronic Pain of at least 6 months from a chronic condition

• Huntington's Disease with movement disorders

Candidates younger than 18 must have one of the following illnesses diagnosed:

• Terminal illness

• Irreversible spinal cord injury with intractable spasticity

• Cerebral palsy

• Uncontrolled intractable seizure disorder

• Cystic fibrosis

• Muscular dystrophy

• Intractable neuropathic pain unresponsive to standard medical treatments

• Severe epilepsy

• Tourette syndrome unresponsive to standard medical treatment

• Chronic pancreatitis with recalcitrant pain

• Osteogenesis imperfecta

On the website used to register for the Medical Marijuana Program, the qualified healthcare provider must set up a Business Network Account and enter the patient's email address and primary phone number, along with those for any required caregivers.

Two qualified healthcare professionals must be engaged if the patient is a minor, with one of them in charge of the patient's ongoing care for the identified disease. The online certification will be provided by one of the qualifying health practitioners, while the other must produce a letter of certification to be given to the patient's parents or guardians indicating that treatment with medicinal cannabis is in the best interests of the patient.

The registration must be completed by the patient online by setting up a Business Network Account with an identical email address. This entails the submission of identification and state residency documents, as well as information about any required caregiver. The patient registration fee of $100 and a caregiver registration fee of $25 must be paid.

The medical cannabis card will be mailed to the adult patient or caregiver. Minor patients will not be provided cards. When purchasing medical cannabis, the caregiver's card must be shown and the licensed retailer will check the registry for the patient's details.

For more information, the DCP may be contacted through the following:

Phone: (860) 713-6066

E-mail: dcp.mmp@ct.gov

How Has Cannabis Legalization Impacted the Economy of Fairfield County?

According to the DCP, from January 10 through January 31, 2023, adult-use cannabis sales in Connecticut hit $5.1 million and sales of medical cannabis totaled $8.2 million. Only adult-use cannabis is taxed.

Adult-use cannabis and cannabis products are subject to three types of taxation:

• a tax ranging from 10% to 15% based on the item’s THC content

• a 6.35% state sales tax

• a 3% city or town sales tax where the item was purchased

Fairfield County will only get sales tax income from the five municipalities that permit adult-use cannabis establishments.

The Effects of Cannabis Legalization on Crime Rates in Fairfield County

It was in 2012 that medical cannabis was legalized and in 2021 that adult-use cannabis was legalized in the State of Connecticut.

The Crimes Analysis Unit of the Connecticut Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection issued a report on Crime in Connecticut Arrest Trends with the earliest data from 2012 showing that there were 10,338 drug abuse violation arrests and 9,276 DUI arrests in the state. This decreased in 2021 to 3,597 arrests for drug abuse violations and 6,173 arrests for DUI across the state.