Recreational marijuana use was made legal in Connecticut nearly a year ago. Now, starting on July 1st, the work-related provisions of the state’s marijuana law will go into effect. According to these workplace-related provisions, employers are required to have an updated drug-free workplace policy. This policy must include rules that govern pre-employment drug testing as well as accommodations for employees that have medical marijuana cards. Additionally, the law does allow employees to sue employers who allegedly violate this law. These new provisions limit an employer’s ability to penalize a job applicant or employee for a positive marijuana test. Although the law does contain a lot of protections for employers.

Home delivery to Connecticut cannabis consumers is one step closer to reality as the lottery for delivery licenses closed last week.

"Delivery service is one of the license types now available in Connecticut as part of the new adult-use program," Kaitlyn Krasselt, communications director at the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection, told The Center Square.

"Home delivery will also be available to patients in the medical marijuana program."

Medical dispensary facilities are allowed to deliver if the entity submits an application to the department and satisfies an inspection.

The new law allows communities in Connecticut to punish individuals with a fee of up to $1,000 for the practice.

Another state with legal weed is cracking down on unregulated cannabis retailers. This time, it is lawmakers in Connecticut who are taking on the practice of “gifting,” through which illicit weed shops sell a product (say, a T-shirt) that comes with a cannabis “gift.”

Now, under a bill signed into law last week by the state’s Democratic Gov. Ned Lamont, that loophole could be tightening up.

Connecticut’s adult-use cannabis law requires cannabis establishments to enter into so-called labor peace agreements as a condition of getting a final license. That means unions have an easier task of organizing because the companies remain neutral.

The application window opened Thursday for Connecticut retailers who want to participate in the recreational and medical cannabis markets. The state plans to license two general applicants and two social equity applicants as hybrid retailers.

As the state considers whether to adjust the required mold and yeast levels in medical cannabis products, patients and others remain concerned about the proposed change and are calling for stricter testing standards.

A claim that cannabis with Fentanyl in it was causing overdoses in Connecticut just got disproved, according to local media.

Another alleged case of fentanyl-laced cannabis in Connecticut has gone up in smoke. 

In this case, the false alarm came out of Connecticut, where an investigation has revealed that “nearly 40 Connecticut overdoses [that] were possibly linked to fentanyl-laced marijuana—sparking widespread attention and concern—turned out to be one confirmed case and was probably caused by accidental contamination,” according to a story by CT Insider.

Finding a location will likely be a challenge for those interested in starting one of Connecticut’s first recreational-use cannabis businesses, experts say.

 Plans by a well-known local businessman and town official to open a retail marijuana shop were put on hold on Tuesday after a the town’s First Selectman, residents and members of the Planning and Zoning Commission questioned the appropriateness of the proposed site or any location in town at a public hearing.

Robert Casner, chairman of the town’s Economic Development Commission, proposes to open the retail shop in a building that now houses a package store and an architect’s office, adjacent to a popular cafe at the busy Town Street intersection.

Casner submitted his application to open the shop in late October before the town’s Planning and Zoning Commission voted to impose a moratorium on marijuana businesses until next June.

Cannabis dispensaries may now explore the possibility of establishing a location in Enfield following the repeal of the previous ordinance. After a 2-hour public hearing in which dozens of residents spoke both in favor of and against the possibility of a marijuana dispensary in town, the Enfield Town Council voted to repeal a September ordinance which prohibits cannabis establishments. The council decided by a 6-3-1 vote to overturn the ban, which had passed by a 6-3 party-line vote on Sept. 7 under the previous Republican-controlled council. On Nov. 2, Democrats took the council majority by a 7-4 margin; one of the items featured prominently during the campaign was a letter signed by most Democratic candidates assuring they would reverse the ordinance if elected.