--- title: CT Hemp Licenses Down 80% Amid Farmer Lawsuit description: CT hemp farmers sue over state regulations conflicting with federal law, causing an 80% drop in hemp licenses and threatening the industry's survival. image: https://420intel.com/hubfs/crystalweed-cannabis-gdVL8nvMbyc-unsplash.jpg --- [![420intel.com](https://420intel.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Asset%2016-1.png?width=300&height=162&name=Asset%2016-1.png "420intel.com")](https://420intel.com) - [Home](https://420intel.com) - [Advertise](https://420intel.com/advertise) - [Directory](https://420intel.com/directory) - [Topics](https://420intel.com/blog) - [Recreational News](https://420intel.com/blog/tag/recreational-cannabis-news) - [Business News](https://420intel.com/tag/cannabis-business-news) - [Politics](https://420intel.com/tag/cannabis-politics) - [Technology](https://420intel.com/tag/cannabis-technology-news) - [Research](https://420intel.com/tag/medical-cannabis-news) - [Contact](https://420intel.com/contact-us) - [Follow us on Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/420intel) - [Follow us on LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/company/420-intel/) - [Follow us on Twitter](https://x.com/420intel) - [Follow us on Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/420intel) ### Press ESC to close [![420intel.com](https://420intel.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Asset%2016-1.png?width=300&height=162&name=Asset%2016-1.png "420intel.com")](https://420intel.com) - [Home](https://420intel.com) - [Advertise](https://420intel.com/advertise) - [Directory](https://420intel.com/directory) - [Topics](https://420intel.com/blog) - [Recreational News](https://420intel.com/blog/tag/recreational-cannabis-news) - [Business News](https://420intel.com/tag/cannabis-business-news) - [Politics](https://420intel.com/tag/cannabis-politics) - [Technology](https://420intel.com/tag/cannabis-technology-news) - [Research](https://420intel.com/tag/medical-cannabis-news) - [Contact](https://420intel.com/contact-us) - [Follow us on Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/420intel) - [Follow us on LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/company/420-intel/) - [Follow us on Twitter](https://x.com/420intel) - [Follow us on Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/420intel) # CT Hemp Licenses Down 80% Amid Farmer Lawsuit - [![Buzz](https://420intel.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Buzz-No%20Outline-2.png?width=80&height=80&name=Buzz-No%20Outline-2.png) Buzz](https://420intel.com/blog/author/buzz) - [Cannabis Laws](https://420intel.com/blog/tag/cannabis-laws) - 29 August 2025 Connecticut’s hemp industry is at the center of a major legal battle after several farmers filed a federal lawsuit challenging state regulations they say contradict federal law. The case highlights how conflicting definitions of hemp and cannabis are devastating small farms and making hemp licenses nearly worthless. The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Connecticut, names Governor Ned Lamont, Attorney General William Tong, Chief State’s Attorney Patrick Griffin, and Consumer Protection Commissioner Bryan Cafferelli as defendants. The plaintiffs include hemp farmers Michael Goodenough, Darren Cugno, Norman Plude, Wells Farming LLC, and hemp processor Ricardo Sotil. Collectively, they argue that Connecticut’s new laws clash with the 2018 federal Farm Bill, stripping farmers of the protections and market access their hemp licenses were meant to guarantee. At the heart of the dispute is THC, the psychoactive compound in cannabis. The federal Farm Bill legalized hemp containing no more than 0.3% Delta-9 THC on a dry weight basis.   Farmers secured hemp licenses with the expectation that as long as their crops met federal standards, they could legally cultivate and sell their products. However, in 2023, Connecticut passed stricter rules redefining THC thresholds. Under these changes, many products that were legal under federal law were suddenly reclassified as cannabis within the state. Since hemp farmers typically do not hold cannabis cultivation or retail permits, they lost the ability to sell much of their harvest—even though their federally compliant hemp licenses should have protected that right. The lawsuit claims this shift has devastated the industry. In just two years, the number of licensed hemp operations in Connecticut dropped from 119 to only 25. One farmer, Norman Plude, scaled back from nine acres of hemp to a tiny 400-square-foot plot. Processor Ricardo Sotil said he invested over $1 million in equipment, only to see his business jeopardized by inconsistent rules. Attorney Genevieve Park Taylor, representing the plaintiffs, argues that the state’s laws have rendered farmers’ hemp licenses “essentially useless.” The suit asks the court for a declaratory judgment requiring Connecticut to honor federal hemp definitions and for an injunction preventing the state from interfering with operations that comply with federal law. For farmers, hemp licenses represent more than just paperwork—they are property rights and the foundation of their livelihoods. As the case unfolds, it may set a critical precedent not only for Connecticut but for hemp producers across the country struggling with the tension between state restrictions and federal protections.   [by Hartford Business](https://hartfordbusiness.com/article/ct-hemp-licenses-plunge-80-as-farmers-sue-over-state-thc-rule-changes/)   [Cannabis Laws](https://420intel.com/blog/tag/cannabis-laws) [Marijuana legalization](https://420intel.com/blog/tag/marijuana-legalization) ![Buzz](https://420intel.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Buzz-No%20Outline-2.png?width=200&height=200&name=Buzz-No%20Outline-2.png) #### [Buzz](https://420intel.com/blog/author/buzz) At 420 Intel, we cover cannabis legalization news throughout the world, offer reliable information for cannabis business owners, detail technological advances that impact the marijuana industry, cover marijuana rallies from across the globe, and everything in between. - - - [Recreational Cannabis News](https://420intel.com/blog/tag/recreational-cannabis-news) [![THC Ban Threatens Texas Hemp Industry](https://420intel.com/hs-fs/hubfs/AI-Generated%20Media/Images/The%20image%20captures%20a%20vibrant%20agricultural%20setting%20in%20Texas%20showcasing%20a%20sprawling%20field%20dotted%20with%20lush%20green%20hemp%20plants%20stretching%20towards%20a%20clear%20blue%20sky%20In%20the%20foreground%20bales%20of%20harvested%20hemp%20are%20neatly%20arranged%20their%20natural%20fibers%20glisteni.jpeg?width=550&height=395&name=The%20image%20captures%20a%20vibrant%20agricultural%20setting%20in%20Texas%20showcasing%20a%20sprawling%20field%20dotted%20with%20lush%20green%20hemp%20plants%20stretching%20towards%20a%20clear%20blue%20sky%20In%20the%20foreground%20bales%20of%20harvested%20hemp%20are%20neatly%20arranged%20their%20natural%20fibers%20glisteni.jpeg)](https://420intel.com/blog/thc-ban-threatens-texas-hemp-industry) - [![Buzz](https://420intel.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Buzz-No%20Outline-2.png?width=80&height=80&name=Buzz-No%20Outline-2.png) Buzz](https://420intel.com/blog/author/buzz) - 18 April 2025 #### [THC Ban Threatens Texas Hemp Industry](https://420intel.com/blog/thc-ban-threatens-texas-hemp-industry) Andrew Hill, who studied and farmed hemp in California before it was legal in Texas, was a keynote... [Cannabis Politics](https://420intel.com/blog/tag/cannabis-politics) [![Texas Senate passes hemp ban, a Dan Patrick priority](https://420intel.com/hs-fs/hubfs/AI-Generated%20Media/Images/In%20a%20grand%20legislative%20chamber%20filled%20with%20polished%20wooden%20accents%20and%20rows%20of%20seats%2c%20a%20group%20of%20Texas%20senators%20engages%20in%20a%20heated%20debate.jpeg?width=550&height=395&name=In%20a%20grand%20legislative%20chamber%20filled%20with%20polished%20wooden%20accents%20and%20rows%20of%20seats%2c%20a%20group%20of%20Texas%20senators%20engages%20in%20a%20heated%20debate.jpeg)](https://420intel.com/blog/texas-senate-passes-hemp-ban-a-dan-patrick-priority) - [![Buzz](https://420intel.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Buzz-No%20Outline-2.png?width=80&height=80&name=Buzz-No%20Outline-2.png) Buzz](https://420intel.com/blog/author/buzz) - 20 March 2025 #### [Texas Senate passes hemp ban, a Dan Patrick priority](https://420intel.com/blog/texas-senate-passes-hemp-ban-a-dan-patrick-priority) The Texas Senate on Wednesday passed a state ban on all forms of tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC,... [Cannabis Politics](https://420intel.com/blog/tag/cannabis-politics) [![Texas Hemp Industry Fights Delta-8 THC Ban As Supreme Court Decision Looms](https://420intel.com/hs-fs/hubfs/AdobeStock_574507735.jpg?width=550&height=395&name=AdobeStock_574507735.jpg)](https://420intel.com/blog/texas-hemp-industry-fights-delta-8-thc-ban-as-supreme-court-decision-looms) - [![Buzz](https://420intel.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Buzz-No%20Outline-2.png?width=80&height=80&name=Buzz-No%20Outline-2.png) Buzz](https://420intel.com/blog/author/buzz) - 7 October 2024 #### [Texas Hemp Industry Fights Delta-8 THC Ban As Supreme Court Decision Looms](https://420intel.com/blog/texas-hemp-industry-fights-delta-8-thc-ban-as-supreme-court-decision-looms) ## The Texas Supreme Court's decision on delta-8 THC could reshape the entire hemp industry in the... - [Follow us on Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/420intel) - [Follow us on LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/420intel) - [Follow us on Twitter](https://twitter.com/420intel) - [Follow us on Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/420intel) Back to Top ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Buzz", "url" : "https://420intel.com/blog/author/buzz" }, "dateModified" : "2025-08-29T12:45:56.207Z", "datePublished" : "2025-08-29T11:12:49.000Z", "headline" : "CT Hemp Licenses Down 80% Amid Farmer Lawsuit", "image" : [ "https://420intel.com/hubfs/crystalweed-cannabis-gdVL8nvMbyc-unsplash.jpg" ], "mainEntityOfPage" : { "@id" : "https://420intel.com/blog/ct-hemp-licenses-down-80-amid-farmer-lawsuit", "@type" : "WebPage" }, "publisher" : { "@type" : "Organization", "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject", "url" : "https://420intel.com/hubfs/Asset%2016.png" }, "name" : "420 Intel" } } ```