Connecticut lawmakers voted to erase THC limits on cannabis flower and concentrates, aiming to align with neighboring states and boost the legal market.
Connecticut House Advances Bill Removing Limits on THC in Cannabis Products
The House this week approved House Bill 5350, a broad cannabis regulation bill that includes several provisions that either raise or eliminate limits on THC in some products, including cannabis flower and infused beverages. The state has legal markets in both marijuana and hemp.
This bill comes five years after the legislature legalized recreational marijuana. Lawmakers have already modified that law on several occasions, such as regulating the sale of THC-infused beverages and establishing regulations for the sale of hemp products in 2023.
According to the General Assembly's analysis, this bill includes language to "allow edible cannabis products to exceed five milligrams of THC in certain circumstances; eliminate the dosage, potency and concentration limits for cannabis concentrates, cannabis flower and other cannabis plant material; increase the permissible amount of THC in infused beverages and high-THC beverages; and authorize infused beverage wholesalers to sell infused beverages to additional liquor permittees," among other provisions.
In addition to eliminating THC caps for concentrate and flower, the bill also raises the amount of THC allowed in infused drinks from 3 milligrams to 5 milligrams, while beverages sold in medical marijuana dispensaries or licensed pot shops can contain up to 10 milligrams of THC.
"What this does is, it modernizes our cannabis and hemp laws to reflect today’s market realities," said Rep. Roland Lemar (D-New Haven) during the debate. " This is a burgeoning marketplace here in Connecticut, creating a lot of jobs and a lot of investment. And the federal regulations that were put into place last year restricted the ability for that business to function, to move forward. We’re creating a strong pathway here for an infused beverage marketplace," said Lemar.
Lemar added that the legislation brings the state in line with neighboring legal marijuana states, such as Massachusetts, New York, and Rhode Island.
"Make no mistake about it. A Connecticut business in this space is at a severe disadvantage to those that exist in New York, Massachusetts and Rhode Island," said Lemar. "They cannot compete on an even playing field because we have stacked the deck against them."
Republican members attacked the bill, citing concerns about mental health, overdoses, and addiction, but Lemar countered that those problems were not being driven by the legal cannabis market but by grey market products being sold in smoke and vape shops. Eliminating the THC caps would move people into the legal market, he said.
"Allowing our regulated marketplace to sell products that are in demand, that are safe, that are sold in surrounding states, moves people to a much safer product," said Lemar.
Republicans offered a series of amendments to retain current THC levels and caps, but all those amendments failed. The bill passed the House on a vote of 83-61 and now heads to the state Senate for consideration.