All posts in Connecticut News

Retail cannabis sales are scheduled to begin in Connecticut by the end of the year. But the state’s license process could leave recreational production to the four current medical producers, at least early on, resulting in demand outstripping supply and high prices that could last for years, according to one industry observer. Jay Czarkowski, a licensing expert and founding partner of Canna Advisors, has been involved with the cannabis industry since opening a Colorado retail location in 2009 and operating his own grow operations. In 2012, he worked to help his first client, Advanced Grow Labs, obtain its Connecticut medical…

NORWALK — A temporary ban on cannabis businesses in the city is one step closer to becoming a reality, with final Common Council approval set for Tuesday. The Common Council’s Ordinance Committee unanimously approved this week a nine-month ban on cannabis businesses in Norwalk, allowing the committee to research and set boundaries on where cannabis businesses can be located and what advertising is permitted. Final approval of the moratorium is set for Tuesday. If the Council approves the motion, the ban will go into effect 10 days following the approval, Assistant Corporation Council Brian Candela said. The ban was first…

Retail cannabis sales are scheduled to begin in Connecticut by the end of the year. But the state’s license process could leave recreational production to the four current medical producers, at least early on, resulting in demand outstripping supply and high prices that could last for years, according to one industry observer. Jay Czarkowski, a licensing expert and founding partner of Canna Advisors, has been involved with the cannabis industry since opening a Colorado retail location in 2009 and operating his own grow operations. In 2012, he worked to help his first client, Advanced Grow Labs, obtain its Connecticut medical…

Oklahoma lawmakers on Wednesday approved a bill in committee to decriminalize low-level possession of psilocybin and promote research into the therapeutic potential of the psychedelic. The measure from Rep. Daniel Pae (R) is one of two GOP-led psilocybin reform bills that were filed in the Oklahoma House last month. The other is less far-reaching in that it doesn’t contain a decriminalization provision and is more targeted in its research guidelines. The House Public Health Committee approved Pae’s bill, HB 3414, in a 7-2 vote. The 26-year-old lawmaker’s proposal would make it so possession of up to one and a half…

NEW YORK — (AP) — In an ambitious move to make its new marijuana industry equitable, New York is proposing a $200 million fund to help entrepreneurs of color and some other groups get into the business. But officials haven’t yet nailed down some components that experts say are crucial to making the investment effective. Gov. Kathy Hochul’s proposal, unveiled last month, would be among the largest sums any state has committed to try to ensure diversity and social equity in the fast-growing legal pot business. The plan also is somewhat unusual for relying on money from private sources. In…

The New York Senate and Assembly have approved a bill to provide provisional marijuana cultivator and processor licenses for existing hemp businesses that take certain steps to promote equity in the emerging industry. The measure now heads to the governor’s desk. Sponsored by Assembly Majority Leader Crystal Peoples-Stokes (D), who took the lead on the adult-use legalization bill that was enacted last year, the legislation aims to simultaneously expedite the process of standing up New York’s adult-use market while supporting efforts to reach ambitious equity goals with respect to cannabis business participation. The proposal cleared the Assembly on a 99-43…

Oklahoma lawmakers on Wednesday approved a bill in committee to decriminalize low-level possession of psilocybin and promote research into the therapeutic potential of the psychedelic. The measure from Rep. Daniel Pae (R) is one of two GOP-led psilocybin reform bills that were filed in the Oklahoma House last month. The other is less far-reaching in that it doesn’t contain a decriminalization provision and is more targeted in its research guidelines. The House Public Health Committee approved Pae’s bill, HB 3414, in a 7-2 vote. The 26-year-old lawmaker’s proposal would make it so possession of up to one and a half…