New London County Cannabis Overview

Is Cannabis Cultivation Legal in New London County?

Cannabis cultivation is legal in New London County as stipulated in Connecticut’s Public Act 21-1, the Responsible and Equitable Regulation of Adult-Use Cannabis Act also known as RERACA, which took effect on July 1, 2021. However, RERACA allows municipalities to hold a referendum if a minimum of 10% of the voters request it to determine whether its residents will allow the establishment of adult-use cannabis businesses within their areas. For New London County, the municipalities of Groton, Old Lyme, and Waterford voted to prohibit adult-use cannabis businesses. Meanwhile, the municipalities of Colchester, Griswold, and Preston decided to have a moratorium on the matter. The other municipalities of New London County accepted the terms of RERACA and allow cannabis cultivation by authorized patients and licensed companies.

Under RERACA, starting March 10, 2022, patients and caregivers under the Connecticut Medical Marijuana Program may grow cannabis at home in the patient’s primary residence provided this is hidden from public view and securely locked against unauthorized access. Only the patient and the patient’s caregivers are permitted to cultivate the cannabis plants and prepare them for medical use. Only the patient may use homegrown cannabis. It is forbidden to give it away or sell it to another person.

For the commercial sale of adult-use cannabis, companies must apply for an adult-use cannabis cultivator license or an adult-use cannabis micro-cultivator license with the Connecticut State Department of Consumer Protection (DCP). A licensee is only allowed to hold either a cultivator or micro-cultivator license.

The adult-use cannabis cultivator license carries the authority to propagate, grow, and harvest marijuana in a registered facility with a minimum growing area of 15,000 square feet. The adult-use cannabis micro-cultivator license authorizes the holder to do the same but in a registered facility with a growing area from 2,000 to 10,000 square feet only. Any expansion requires authorization by the DCP commissioner up to 25,000 square feet. Beyond that, a conversion to a cultivator license must be applied for.

Both types of cultivators are allowed by RERACA to grow cannabis outdoors provided the cannabis plants are not visible to the public.

For the adult-use cannabis cultivator license, there is a lottery application fee of $1,000, a provisional application fee of $25,000, and a final license fee of $75,000. For the adult-use cannabis micro-cultivator license, there is a lottery application fee of $250, a provisional application fee of $500, and a final license fee of $1,000.

Licensed medical cannabis producers under the 2012 HB 5389, which first legalized medical marijuana in Connecticut, may apply with the DCP for a conversion to expand their permit to produce adult-use cannabis. No new medical cannabis producer license will be issued.

Is Cannabis Manufacturing Legal in New London County?

Cannabis manufacturing is legal in New London County as stipulated in Connecticut’s RERACA. However, since the law allows municipalities to hold a vote on whether to allow adult-use cannabis businesses in their territories, the municipalities of Old Lyme, Groton, and Waterford have prohibited these. The municipalities of Griswold, Colchester, and Preston are on a moratorium on the issue. All other municipalities in New London County allow the establishment of licensed cannabis manufacturing businesses.

To legally manufacture cannabis products, a company must apply for an adult-use cannabis product manufacturer license or an adult-use cannabis food and beverage manufacturer license with the DCP. A licensee is only allowed to hold either a product manufacturer or a food and beverage manufacturer license.

The adult-use cannabis product manufacturer license authorizes the holder to manufacture, label, and package cannabis products. The adult-use cannabis food and beverage manufacturer license authorizes the holder to manufacture foods and beverages infused with cannabis or that incorporate cannabis as one of the ingredients.

For the adult-use cannabis product manufacturer license, there is a lottery application fee of $750, a provisional application fee of $5,000, and a final license fee of $25,000. For the adult-use cannabis food and beverage manufacturer license, there is a lottery application fee of $250, a provisional application fee of $1,000, and a final license fee of $5,000.

Foods and beverages can have only a maximum of five milligrams of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) per serving. A pack containing multiple servings cannot exceed 100 milligrams of THC in its contents. Beverages are required to come only as single servings.

Is Cannabis Retail Legal in New London County?

Cannabis retail is legal in New London County by virtue of Connecticut’s RERACA. However, residents of the municipalities of Waterford, Groton, and Old Lyme voted to prohibit cannabis retail shops in their territories. There is a moratorium on the matter in the municipalities of Preston, Colchester, and Griswold. All other municipalities in New London County allow the establishment of licensed cannabis retail shops and dispensaries.

In September 2022, the New London Planning and Zoning Commission amended its own regulations passed in early 2022 stating that retail marijuana shops must not be within 500 feet of any private or public school, playground, park, library, or recreational facility. They changed it to cover only the main entrance of a retail marijuana shop.

To sell cannabis, a company must apply for an adult-use cannabis retailer license or an adult-use cannabis hybrid retailer license with the DCP. A licensee is only allowed to hold either a retailer or hybrid retailer license.

The adult-use cannabis retailer license authorizes the holder to sell adult-use cannabis to consumers aged 21 and above. The adult-use cannabis hybrid retailer license authorizes the holder to sell adult-use cannabis to consumers aged 21 and above, as well as medical cannabis to medical marijuana cardholders.

Existing holders of the medical marijuana dispensary license may apply with the DCP for conversion to expand their permit to sell adult-use cannabis. No new medical marijuana dispensary license will be issued.

For both the adult-use cannabis retailer and hybrid retailer licenses, there is a lottery application fee of $500, a provisional application fee of $5,000, and a final license fee of $25,000.

According to RERACA, patients registered in the Medical Marijuana Program may purchase up to five ounces of medical cannabis each month, an increase from the previous 2.5 ounces. Non-patients aged 21 and above may purchase a maximum of one ounce of cannabis per day.

Cannabis products in the form of tablets, pills, capsules, sublinguals, and suppositories are only allowed to be sold to medical marijuana cardholders. All other types of cannabis products are allowed for sale in the adult-use market, including edibles and beverages.

Is Cannabis Delivery Legal in New London County?

Cannabis delivery is legal in New London County by virtue of RERACA. The law forbids any municipality from banning the licensed delivery of cannabis to its residents or the authorized transport of cannabis through its area.

To legally deliver cannabis, a company must apply for an adult-use cannabis delivery service license or an adult-use cannabis transporter license. A licensee is only allowed to hold either a delivery service or a transporter license.

The adult-use cannabis delivery service license authorizes the holder to deliver purchases of cannabis from licensed establishments to medical marijuana cardholders or consumers aged 21 and older. The adult-use cannabis transporter license authorizes the holder to deliver cannabis and cannabis products from one licensed cannabis business to another.

RERACA allows existing licensed medical cannabis dispensaries to deliver medical marijuana purchased by patients and caregivers who are medical marijuana cardholders up to 30 days after the initial five licensed delivery services start their operations.

How to Get a Medical Marijuana Card in New London County

Adult residents of New London County or any Connecticut county can apply for a medical marijuana card with the Medical Marijuana Program if they are not an inmate in a correctional institution and if they are under treatment by an eligible doctor, physician assistant, or advanced practice registered nurse for one of the following qualifying debilitating conditions:

• Glaucoma
• Cancer
• Parkinson’s disease
• HIV/AIDS
• Multiple sclerosis
• Epilepsy
• Damage to the spinal cord with intractable spasticity
• Irreversible spinal cord injury with intractable spasticity
• Wasting syndrome
• Cachexia
• Crohn's disease
• Sickle cell disease
• Post-traumatic stress disorder
• Post-laminectomy syndrome with chronic radiculopathy
• Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
• Severe psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis
• Ulcerative colitis
• Cerebral palsy
• Complex regional pain syndrome, Type 1 and Type II
• Cystic fibrosis
• Fibromyalgia with spasticity or neuropathic pain
• Uncontrolled intractable seizure disorder
• Severe rheumatoid arthritis
• Postherpetic neuralgia
• Intractable headache syndromes
• Hydrocephalus with intractable headache
• Neuropathic facial pain
• Osteogenesis imperfecta
• Muscular dystrophy
• Degenerative spinal disorders with chronic neuropathic pain
• Median Arcuate Ligament Syndrome (MALS)
• Interstitial cystitis
• Vulvodynia and vulvar burning
• Intractable neuropathic pain unresponsive to standard medical treatments
• Chronic Pain of at least 6 months from a chronic condition
• Tourette Syndrome
• Ehlers-Danlos syndrome with chronic pain
• Huntington's Disease with movement disorders
• Chronic pancreatitis
• Terminal illness

Residents of New London County or any Connecticut county who are younger than 18 must have one of the following debilitating conditions to qualify:

• Cystic fibrosis
• Cerebral palsy
• Irreversible spinal cord injury with intractable spasticity
• Uncontrolled intractable seizure disorder
• Severe epilepsy
• Muscular dystrophy
• Intractable neuropathic pain unresponsive to standard medical treatments
• Osteogenesis imperfecta
• Tourette syndrome unresponsive to standard medical treatment
• Chronic pancreatitis with recalcitrant pain
• Terminal illness

For adult patients, one eligible attending doctor, physician assistant, or advanced practice registered nurse must certify the patient’s condition in the Medical Marijuana Program. The medical practitioner must access the online registration system by creating a Business Network Account. The medical practitioner must input the patient’s email address and primary telephone number.

For patients who are minors, two eligible medical practitioners are required. One of them must be treating the patient for the qualifying medical condition. One must certify the patient’s condition in the online registration system while the other must provide the patient’s parents or guardian with a letter certifying that it is in the best interest of the patient to have palliative care from medical marijuana.

The patient must also create a Business Network Account and continue the registration process using the same email address given to the medical practitioner. The patient is required to upload additional documents online such as proof of identity, proof of state residency, and details of the caregiver, if necessary. A money order or check in the amount of $100 must be paid to the “Treasurer, State of CT” for the registration fee of the patient plus $25 for a caregiver.

The medical marijuana card will be sent by mail to the adult patient and the caregiver. No card will be issued for patients who are minors. The caregiver’s card will suffice and will be checked against the minor patient’s records in the online registry.

How Has Cannabis Legalization Impacted the Economy of New London County?

The retail sale of cannabis in New London County will be subject to three types of taxes. There is a 6.35% state sales tax, a 10% to 15% tax that is based on the item’s THC content, and a 3% sales tax that goes to the town or city where the purchase is made. New London County will, therefore, be earning tax revenues from cannabis sales in towns and cities that allow cannabis businesses.

The Effects of Cannabis Legalization on Crime Rates in New London County

The sale of adult-use cannabis in Connecticut is expected to start in late 2022. Medical cannabis has been available for patients since 2012.

On the FBI’s Crime Data Explorer page, the New London City Police Department reports that in 2011 there were 337 arrests for drug abuse violations in New London City, of which 37 were for marijuana possession and two were for marijuana manufacturing or sales. This decreased to 73 arrests for drug abuse violations in 2021, of which four were for marijuana possession. Currently, there is no data for the entire county.