Hartford, CT--Connecticut medical cannabis businesses spent millions on lobbying before the start of recreational cannabis sales, according to data analysis.
[Image via CT Insider]
According to a report, Theraplant, one of four medical cannabis cultivators now growing cannabis for recreational use, spent $337,213.45 between 2019 and 2020 and $320,974.35 in 2021 and 2022.
Acreage Holdings, owner of three Connecticut medical cannabis dispensaries, spent $136,096.25 on lobbyists in 2019 and 2020, increasing to $210,541.28 in 2021 and 2022.
Trulieve, which owns a Bristol dispensary, spent $158,990.80 on lobbyists in 2021 and 2022. Other cannabis cultivators and retailers that invested thousands in lobbying before recreational sales began to include Connecticut Pharmaceutical Solutions and Arrow Alternative Care, both acquired by large out-of-state cannabis operators.
Verano Holdings and Curaleaf, the purchasing companies, are among only four cultivators currently producing cannabis for Connecticut's recreational market. Companies specifying "cannabis" or "marijuana" in their filings spent $852,470.25 in 2019 and 2021 and $956,365.28 in 2021 and 2022.
Gov. Ned Lamont signed a bill legalizing recreational cannabis use in Connecticut on June 22, 2021, and the first dispensaries opened on January 10, 2023.Per the report, critics say that the role of money in lobbying shapes the program's details.
Jason Ortiz, executive director of Students for Sensible Drug Policy, pointed to a provision in the law allowing existing medical cannabis cultivators to pay half the $3 million filing fee if partnering with a social equity partner.
DeVaughan Ward, senior legislative counsel at the Marijuana Policy Project, said in the report that while he did not agree with every part of the bill, it was a state-of-the-industry piece of legislation when crafted in 2021.
Lobbying shapes much of the legislation in Connecticut, other states, and at the federal level, especially on complex issues like cannabis that impact multiple areas of society.
See the entire report for more.