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

Is Cannabis Cultivation Legal in Middlesex County?

Yes. Cannabis cultivation is allowed in Middlesex County pursuant to the legalization of adult-use cannabis and palliative use of marijuana. State law provisions on marijuana use and possession can be seen in Public Act No. 21-1 or the Responsible and Equitable Regulation of Adult-Use Cannabis Act (RERACA) and Public Act No. 12-55 or An Act Concerning the Palliative Use of Marijuana.

Residents can grow cannabis at home. All adults over the age of 21 may grow up to three immature and three mature plants starting July 1, 2023. Meanwhile, medical marijuana patients who are 18 years old and above were allowed to grow the same number of mature and immature marijuana plants starting October 1, 2021. Marijuana plants must be grown indoors and hidden from street view. Individuals who grow marijuana must plant in their primary residence, and where individuals under 21 years of age cannot access the plants.

The Department of Consumer Protection (DCP) issues licenses to adult-use cannabis and medical marijuana establishments. Only licensed marijuana cultivators, micro-cultivators, and producers are authorized to grow marijuana. Cultivators may cultivate, grow, and propagate cannabis for adult and medical use. The establishment must contain at least 15,000 square feet of grow space. Micro-cultivators are those establishments permitted to cultivate, grow, and propagate cannabis plants at an establishment that is between 2,000 and 10,000 square feet of grow space before any expansion authorized by the DCP. Once licensed, they may expand their grow space to 25,000 square feet or convert their license as a cultivator if they choose to expand their grow space to over 25,000 square feet. Micro-cultivators may also grow cannabis for adult and medical use.

On the other hand, producers are establishments licensed to grow cannabis for medical use. As of May 1, 2023, no additional producer licenses shall be issued. Licensed producers must demonstrate the ability to maintain adequate control against theft, diversion, and loss of marijuana it cultivated and cultivate pharmaceutical-grade marijuana for palliative use in a secure indoor facility. Producers interested in growing marijuana for adult use may apply for conversion of their license to an expanded producer license.

Is Cannabis Manufacturing Legal in Middlesex County?

Yes. Cannabis manufacturing is legal in Middlesex County. Cannabis establishments may apply from among the three different manufacturing license types issued by the DPS—product manufacturer, food and beverage manufacturer, and product packager. Manufacturing marijuana means incorporating or adding cannabis into other products or ingredients to create a cannabis product.

A product manufacturer is licensed to perform cannabis extraction, chemical synthesis, and other permitted cannabis manufacturing activities. They may also package and label cannabis products manufactured in its establishment. They may sell, transfer, or transport their cannabis products to another cannabis establishment or research program, provided that their own employees or transporter performs the transfer of products. However, they may not deliver cannabis directly to a consumer or through a delivery service. All equipment utilized for manufacturing, processing, extracting, and packaging cannabis must be sanitized and available for inspection following the RERACA and federal Food and Drug Administration rules.

Food and beverage manufacturers incorporate cannabis into food or beverages intended for human consumption. However, it may not perform cannabis extraction to create cannabis concentrates nor create any cannabis product that is not food or beverage intended for human consumption.

Lastly, a product packager labels and packages cannabis products. They shall acquire cannabis from licensed cultivators, micro-cultivators, producers, product manufacturers, and food and beverage manufacturers. They shall also ensure that all equipment used for processing, packaging, and labeling cannabis is sanitary and inspected regularly by authorities.

Is Cannabis Retail Legal in Middlesex County?

Yes. Middlesex County residents, qualified patients, and caregivers may purchase cannabis products from licensed retailers and dispensing facilities in Connecticut. A retailer is licensed to sell cannabis only to adult-use consumers. It is prohibited from selling medical marijuana products and offering discounts or inducements to qualifying patients and caregivers. Gifting or transferring cannabis without remuneration to consumers is not permitted by the state.

Meanwhile, a hybrid retailer may sell cannabis to adult-use consumers and medical marijuana to qualifying patients and caregivers. Similarly, they cannot gift or transfer cannabis to a purchaser at no cost. A licensed pharmacist must dispense any cannabis product or medical marijuana product sold and shall be documented in the electronic prescription drug monitoring program.

A medical marijuana dispensary facility may only sell medical marijuana to qualifying patients and caregivers. If they wish to sell adult-use cannabis as well, they must apply to convert their license to a hybrid retail license. After October 1, 2021, qualifying patients and caregivers do not need to designate an exclusive dispensary facility or hybrid retailer where they may purchase their cannabis products.

Cannabis for adult use, such as edibles or beverages, must contain not more than 5 mg of THC per serving. Products with multiple servings can have no more than a combined total of 100 mg of THC. A retailer or hybrid retailer cannot knowingly sell more than one ounce of cannabis or its equivalent. Cannabis in the adult-use market cannot be in the form of pills, capsules, tablets, sublinguals, suppositories, or other forms administered through a bodily orifice other than orally. These cannabis product forms are, however, allowed in the medical marijuana program.

Medical marijuana products are those exclusively sold to qualifying patients and caregivers by hybrid retailers and dispensing facilities. Qualifying patients and caregivers may possess a combined amount of marijuana for palliative use that does not exceed an amount reasonably necessary to last for one month, as determined by the DCP. Hybrid retailers or dispensary facilities may only dispense up to five ounces of cannabis or its equivalent to qualifying patients or caregivers per day.

Is Cannabis Delivery Legal in Middlesex County?

Yes. The delivery of adult-use cannabis and medical marijuana to consumers, qualifying patients, and caregivers at their residential addresses is allowed in Middlesex County. Micro-cultivators, dispensary facilities, hybrid retailers, and retailers may deliver their own cannabis products or engage with delivery services to transport cannabis products to the purchaser.

Micro-cultivators and retailers may only deliver cannabis to adult-use consumers, while dispensary facilities may only deliver medical marijuana to qualifying patients and caregivers. On the other hand, hybrid retailers are allowed to deliver cannabis to adult-use consumers, qualifying patients, and caregivers. Medical marijuana cardholders may need to present their ID to purchase cannabis.

The DCP may grant Adult-Use Cannabis Delivery Service License or an Adult-Use Cannabis Transporter License to eligible applicants. The former license allows a person to deliver cannabis from cannabis establishments to consumers, qualifying patients, and caregivers. The law provides that once there are five licensed delivery services in the state, cannabis establishments may no longer deliver their products directly to the purchaser. The latter license permits a person to transport cannabis between cannabis establishments.

How to Get Medical Marijuana Card in Middlesex County

The Medical Marijuana Program in Connecticut allows registered medical marijuana patients to receive five ounces of medical marijuana every month unless otherwise restricted or expanded by the certifying physician. To be eligible as a medical marijuana patient, the applicants must be diagnosed by a state-licensed physician with any one of the following debilitating medical conditions:

• Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis

• Cancer

• Crohn's Disease

• Chronic Neuropathic Pain connected with Degenerative Spinal Disorders

• Cachexia

• Chronic Pain of at least six months period related with a specified underlying chronic condition refractory to other treatment intervention

• Cystic Fibrosis

• Epilepsy

• Damage to the Nervous Tissue of the Spinal Cord with Objective Neurological Indication of Intractable Spasticity

• Wasting Syndrome

• Glaucoma

• Positive Status for HIV/AIDS

• Multiple Sclerosis

• Parkinson's Disease

• Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

• Post Laminectomy Syndrome with Chronic Radiculopathy

• Sickle Cell Disease

• Severe Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis

• Ulcerative Colitis

• Type I and Type II Complex Regional Pain Syndrome

• Intractable Headache Syndromes

• Cerebral Palsy

• Irreversible Spinal Cord Injury with Objective Neurological Indication of Intractable Spasticity

• Spasticity or Neuropathic Pain Associated with Fibromyalgia

• Intractable Neuropathic Pain Unresponsive to Standard Medical Treatments

• Severe Rheumatoid Arthritis

• Terminal Illness Requiring End-Of-Life Care

• Uncontrolled Intractable Seizure Disorder

• Post Herpetic Neuralgia

• Hydrocephalus with Intractable Headache

• Muscular Dystrophy

• Neuropathic Facial Pain

• Osteogenesis Imperfecta

• Interstitial Cystitis

• Median Arcuate Ligament (MALS) Syndrome

• Vulvodynia and Vulvar Burning

• Tourette Syndrome

• Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome Associated with Chronic Pain

• Chronic Pancreatitis

• Movement disorders associated with Huntington's Disease

If the patient is a minor, the parent/s or guardian must seek two certified physicians to verify that the palliative use of marijuana is in the best interest of the minor patient. Debilitating medical conditions for minor patients are:

• Cystic Fibrosis

• Cerebral Palsy

• Patients with Chronic Pancreatitis whose pain is recalcitrant to standard medical management

• Osteogenesis Imperfecta

• Irreversible Spinal Cord Injury with Objective Neurological Indication of Intractable Spasticity

• Uncontrolled Intractable Seizure Disorder

• Muscular Dystrophy

• Intractable Neuropathic Pain Unresponsive to Standard Medical Treatments

• Severe Epilepsy

• Patients with Tourette Syndrome who have failed standard medical treatments

• Terminal Illness Requiring End-Of-Life Care

Once the physician has provided a written certification that you are diagnosed with any of the abovementioned medical conditions, the DCP shall require certain documents or information to prove your identity and that you are a resident of Connecticut. Inmates confined in a correctional facility under the Department of Corrections are not eligible to receive medical marijuana.

Medical Marijuana Program

Phone: (860) 713-6066 or

E-mail: dcp.mmp@ct.gov

How Has Cannabis Legalization Impacted the Economy of Middlesex County?

The Department of Revenue Services (DRS) is tasked with regulating and collecting taxes imposed upon the sale of adult-use marijuana. Medical marijuana shall not be subject to taxes.

A statewide cannabis tax is imposed on the retail sales of cannabis plant materials, cannabis edible products, and other cannabis products sold by cannabis retailers, hybrid retailers, or micro-cultivators. It is based on the amount of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) per milligram contained in said products.

• Cannabis plant material - 0.625 cents per mg of total THC

• Cannabis edible products - 2.75 cents per mg of total THC

• Other cannabis products - 0.9 cents per mg of total THC

The statewide cannabis tax does not apply to sales of marijuana for palliative use, transfers of cannabis between cannabis establishments, and sales of cannabis by a delivery service to a consumer.

Retail sales of cannabis shall be subject to the state’s 6.35% sales and use tax. Only the sales of cannabis for palliative use and transfers of cannabis to a transporter shall be exempted from the state’s sales and use tax.

In addition to the Connecticut sales tax, the state imposes a 3% municipal cannabis tax on the gross receipts from cannabis sales made by cannabis retailers, hybrid retailers, or micro-cultivators. The following sales are exempt from municipal cannabis tax: cannabis for palliative use, cannabis sales by a delivery service to a consumer, and transfer of cannabis to a transporter.

The Effects of Cannabis Legalization on Crime Rates in Middlesex County

Since the legalization of adult-use cannabis in Connecticut in 2021, the number of arrests for driving under the influence, illegal possession of marijuana, and illegal sale/manufacturing of marijuana decreased. Unfortunately, data released by the FBI Crime Data Explorer is limited to the number of arrests made in the state up to the year 2021, as of May 2023.

In Connecticut, DUI arrests made in 2019 and 2020 were 7,595 and 5,151, respectively. By 2021, there were 6,133 DUI arrests reported by the authorities.

Meanwhile, arrests for the illegal possession of marijuana gradually decreased from 1,664, 858, and 408 in the last three years (2019, 2020, and 2021). Similarly, the number of apprehensions made for the illegal sale/manufacturing of marijuana followed a similar trend when the FBI recorded 418, 220, and 149 arrests from 2019 to 2021.