Cannabis laws in Connecticut

Medical: Yes
Recreational: Yes
Reciprocity: No

Recreational cannabis became legal in Connecticut on July 1, 2021. The law, S.B. 1201, allows people over 21 to possess up to 1.5 ounces of cannabis in public and up to 5 ounces at their personal residence. It also allows home cultivation, but only beginning on July 1, 2023, after which adults will be able to grow up to six plants for personal use. Medical patients will be allowed to cultivate up to three mature and three immature plants at their own residence starting October 1, 2021.

The law also considers 1 ounce of cannabis to be equivalent to 5 grams of cannabis concentrate, according to the Marijuana Policy Project.

Legal cannabis retail sales are not expected to begin until 2022, according to New Haven’s News 8.

S.B. 1201 also will enact the expungement of marijuana convictions, and sets up a regulated system for cultivators, manufacturers, and cannabis retail businesses. Under the law, half of the cannabis licenses will be awarded to “social equity applicants,” who come from communities most adversely affected by the Drug War. They will also receive technical assistance, funding, and training to help them enter the industry.

On the criminal justice front, the law also eliminates the smell of cannabis or burnt cannabis and suspicion of cannabis possession as probable cause for a police search, and removes cannabis possession as a reason to revoke parole or probation.

In addition, landlords cannot discriminate against renters based on past cannabis convictions and cannot require them to take a drug test or to abstain from using non-smokable cannabis in the residence.

The law also includes a number of stipulations to prevent discrimination or punishment in the workforce and at institutions of higher education based on cannabis possession (of less than 4 onces) or low-level past convictions.

How to get a medical card in Connecticut

To receive medical marijuana in Connecticut, an applicant must apply online with the Connecticut Department of Administrative Services.

To register, the applicant must be a resident of Connecticut in treatment for a debilitating medical condition by a Connecticut-licensed physician or advanced registered nurse.

The registration fee for the program is $100.

Qualifying conditions

In Connecticut, an applicant may receive medical marijuana if they (or the person they are providing caregiver services for) has one or more of the following conditions:

Cancer
Glaucoma
Positive Status for Human Immunodeficiency Virus or Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome
Parkinson’s Disease
Multiple Sclerosis
Chronic pain lasting more than six months
Damage to the Nervous Tissue of the Spinal Cord with Objective Neurological Indication of Intractable Spasticity
Epilepsy
Cachexia
Wasting Syndrome
Crohn’s Disease
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
Sickle Cell Disease
Post Laminectomy Syndrome with Chronic Radiculopathy
Severe Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis
Ulcerative Colitis
Complex Regional Pain Syndrome, Type 1 and Type II
Cerebral Palsy
Cystic Fibrosis
Irreversible Spinal Cord Injury with Objective Neurological Indication of Intractable Spasticity
Terminal Illness Requiring End-Of-Life Care
Uncontrolled Intractable Seizure Disorder
Spasticity or Neuropathic Pain Associated with Fibromyalgia
Severe Rheumatoid Arthritis
Post Herpetic Neuralgia
Hydrocephalus with Intractable Headache
Intractable Headache Syndromes
Neuropathic Facial Pain
Muscular Dystrophy
Osteogenesis Imperfecta
Chronic Neuropathic Pain Associated with Degenerative Spinal Disorders
Interstitial Cystitis
MALS Syndrome (Median Arcuate Ligament Syndrome)
Vulvodynia and Vulvar Burning
Intractable Neuropathic Pain that Is Unresponsive to Standard Medical Treatments
Tourette Syndrome
Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome

For Patients Under 18, Debilitating Medical Conditions Include:

Cerebral Palsy
Cystic Fibrosis
Irreversible Spinal Cord Injury with Objective Neurological Indication of Intractable Spasticity
Severe Epilepsy
Terminal Illness Requiring End-Of-Life Care
Uncontrolled Intractable Seizure Disorder
Muscular Dystrophy
Osteogenesis Imperfecta
Intractable Neuropathic Pain that Is Unresponsive to Standard Medical Treatments
Tourette Syndrome for patients who have failed standard medical treatment

Reciprocity

Connecticut does not accept out of state medical marijuana licenses.

Where to Buy

The state’s first dispensary opened in 2014 and there are currently more than a dozen open across the state. At Connecticut dispensaries, patients can purchase flower, pre-rolls, edibles, concentrates, topicals, and accessories.