What’s Changed Since Connecticut Legalized Adult-Use Marijuana 4 Years Ago?

*Not only have recreational sales increased, but medical purchases have
made up less than half of the state’s cannabis market retail sales since
May 2023.*

*By Sasha Allen, CT Mirror*

July 1 marks four years of legalized recreational cannabis use in
Connecticut, and with legalization came major changes to the medical
marijuana market.

A law enacted in 2012 allowed the purchase and use of cannabis for medical
reasons only. But in 2021, the state legalized recreational use for
everyone 21 and older. Statewide recreational retail sales began in January
2023, and by May 2023, recreational sales accounted for the majority of
state cannabis retail sales, a trend that has continued to today.

Connecticut was the 19th state to legalize recreational marijuana.

Under state law, anyone 21 or older without a medical card is allowed to
possess up to 1.5 ounces of cannabis flower or other cannabis product
equivalent in public and up to 5 ounces in their private residence. Medical
cardholders can posses up to 5 ounces of cannabis on their person.

Not only have recreational sales increased, but medical purchases have made
up less than half of the state’s cannabis market retail sales since May
2023.

Connecticut was the 19th state to legalize recreational marijuana.

Both medical and recreational dispensaries sell similar products, but
medical users who are using the product to treat “debilitating medical
conditions” aren’t subject to the cannabis tax. Medical users can also buy
other products that recreational users cannot, including capsules, tablets,
pills, sublinguals and suppositories.

Medical users are also not subject to potency restrictions, while
recreational cannabis is currently capped at 30 percent THC for cannabis
flower and 60 percent THC for concentrate products other than vapes.
However, as of October 1, 2025, the cap for raw flower will be raised to 35
percent THC and 70 percent THC for concentrates other than vapes.

The cannabis tax is dependent on both the product and the amount of THC;
edible products are taxed the most heavily per milligram of THC and plant
products the least. For an eighth of flower that’s 15 percent THC, for the
tax currently sits at around 9.4 percent, fluctuating based on product
pricing. Edibles are subject to a tax of $0.0275 per milligram of the
product’s total THC content.

Medical card holders are required to apply for renewal annually, which
involves a consultation fee with health care providers that can range from
$100 to $350 for users 18 and older. For users under 18, users must have a
condition specified by the legislature for medical usage as well as
parental consent and a caregiver arrangement.

Because cannabis usage is federally illegal, medical card holders are
prohibited from purchasing firearms, and everyone applying for a firearm is
required to disclose their usage of cannabis and other federally controlled
substances. Federal law bars all cannabis users from owning a firearm.

Each hybrid or recreational cannabis retailer registered in Connecticut
must pay the cannabis tax, which varies by product. The state cannabis tax
brought in $21.3 million in state revenue for FY 2024.

Overall, the sales tax—along with state sales tax, municipality sales tax
and licensing and conversion fees for dispensaries—brought in $49.4 million
in cannabis revenue for FY 2024.

While there are dozens of products on the market, usable cannabis flower,
which is just the dried plant, brings in the most sales across the medical
and recreational markets. Overall, in May 2025, recreational cannabis
retail sales were $18.7 million. Medical retail sales were $6.6 million.

There is only one exclusively medical dispensary in the state. The rest of
the dispensaries have transitioned and cater to both the recreational
market and the medical market as hybrid dealers, or just the recreational
market.

Statewide, there are 36 recreational dispensaries and 35 hybrid dealers.
However, the number of dispensaries fluctuates. Back in January 2023, only
nine hybrid dispensaries existed. Numbers from around February 2025 showed
64 dispensaries in the state—eight fewer than are currently open.

*This article first appeared on CT Mirror and is republished here under a
Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.*

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*Photo courtesy of Philip Steffan.*

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Years Ago? appeared first on Marijuana Moment.