All posts in Connecticut News

As human resources counsel at the Connecticut Business & Industry Association, attorney Diane Mokriski has heard plenty of questions and concerns about Connecticut’s new recreational cannabis law, but she thinks it doesn’t impact employers much. “There’s so many built-in protections for employers,” she said. “Any limitation on employer conduct is very minor, in my opinion. That’s the main idea that I’m trying to tell business owners, is kind of, if you’re concerned, you really need not be.” She said that’s because common-sense rules remain in place: “You can’t be drunk at work and you can’t be high at work and…

An appeals panel in Texas issued a mixed judgment Thursday in a lawsuit challenging the state’s ban on smokable hemp. Regulators may enforce a ban on the processing and manufacture of products intended for smoking or vaping, the court ruled, but they cannot prevent such products made elsewhere from being sold in the state. The decision creates a situation in which consumers may be able to freely purchase smokable hemp flower and hemp-derived CBD oils for vaping, but only if the products are processed outside Texas and imported into the state. Four Texas companies challenged the ban in a lawsuit…

In this Wednesday, Oct. 17, 2018 photo patient service associates Savannah Stuitje, left, and Josh Hirst, right, stand at a counter that features a display of vape dispensers, below, that could be used for legal recreational cannabis, at New England Treatment Access medical marijuana dispensary, in Northampton, Massachusetts. (Steven Senne / AP)

A top Rhode Island lawmaker says that while there’s not yet a consensus among legislators and the governor on a bill to legalize marijuana, it’s still a “workable” issue and would be prioritized if a special session is convened this fall. House Speaker Joe Shekarchi (D) told The Public’s Radio that it’s “possible” that a special session will be held later in the year after lawmakers failed to reach a deal on competing reform proposals. “It really depends if we can come to some kind of resolution of consensus on a couple of major bills,” he said, referring to cannabis…

NEW HAVEN, Conn. — Focusing on social equity, a black woman whose business certifies residents for Connecticut’s medical marijuana card is taking advantage of measures in a new state law that target the issue most important to her. Kebra Smith-Bolden, a nurse and founder of CannaHealth, aims to provide security for people in her community who consume or medicate with cannabis. A groundbreaking part of the new law, which went into effect July 1, is social equity. It requires half of all licenses for entry into the state’s marijuana business be reserved for social-equity applicants, those from areas disproportionately affected by…

DANBURY — Zoning leaders passed a one-year ban on new marijuana businesses to give planners time to digest Connecticut’s new adult cannabis law, but the moratorium won’t stop legal weed use here or prevent a new medical marijuana dispensary from opening next month. “We just don’t know — that’s the point of the moratorium,” said City Council minority leader Paul Rotello, a Democrat, during a public hearing this week. “Let’s approve (the temporary ban) and then let’s have, among other things, a monetary study and give the people some insight as to what the true financials are going to be.”…

Many Connecticut drivers have asked the question since the legalization of cannabis is, “Can I be arrested for driving while being high on marijuana?” The answer to that question is yes, you can, and I’ll tell you why in a moment. The website dui.drivinglaws.org states: Connecticut’s OUI laws prohibit driving with a BAC of .08% or more or while under the influence of drugs or alcohol. Anyone convicted of an OUI can expect fines, license suspension, and possible jail time. OUI is the abbreviation for “Operating Under the Influence”, which includes drugs and alcohol and means that the operator’s ability to…

Many Connecticut drivers have asked the question since the legalization of cannabis is, “Can I be arrested for driving while being high on marijuana?” The answer to that question is yes, you can, and I’ll tell you why in a moment. The website dui.drivinglaws.org states: Connecticut’s OUI laws prohibit driving with a BAC of .08% or more or while under the influence of drugs or alcohol. Anyone convicted of an OUI can expect fines, license suspension, and possible jail time. OUI is the abbreviation for “Operating Under the Influence”, which includes drugs and alcohol and means that the operator’s ability to…