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 Want to Grow Your Own Cannabis in Connecticut?

The news is out people: as of July 1, 2021, it is now legal for any adult over the age of 21 to possess up to 1.5 ounces of marijuana! This is huge news for any of you out there who have been waiting patiently for cannabis to become legalized in your state. Fortunately for some of you, it’s Connecticut's turn now. The Bill 1201 was passed by governor Ned Lamont on June 22. What else was in the bill? Well, it also included reduced penalties for those who are found in cannabis-related offenses. This means that instead of getting hit with extremely heavy fines or even jail time, there is a simple $150 fine. This is similar to what we have been seeing in other states as well when it comes to policies surrounding marijuana and cannabis. However, there is some bad news in the midst of this huge win for cannabis users in Connecticut. Due to how slowly things are moving in our world today, there won’t really be anywhere to buy cannabis (like dispensaries and such) until about a year. It is also important to mention that only people with a licensed medical card can legally grow cannabis in their own home, and doing so otherwise is illegal. This rule doesn’t really look like it’s going to be changed in the very near future, not for about 2 more years at the very least. 

So with all this new information coming out, where can you actually use cannabis legally in the state of Connecticut? Well, you can basically follow the same guidelines that apply to smoking cigarettes. That means that most restaurants, hotels, entertainment spaces, and public gathering areas are off limits for cannabis consumption. The law also states that no one can smoke marijuana in prisons or other government federal/state facilities. It is also true that some places have allowed for smoking areas, like certain job sites that have more smoking compassionate employers. However, these places are not open to smoking marijuana or consuming any form of cannabis for the good of public health. 

There is also another question that has been raised from these recent cannabis-related policy updates. What about all those people who have been incarcerated for cannabis possession in the past? It would make sense that those people who have been hit with legal penalties should be able to apply for expungement, since cannabis is now legalized in that state. Fortunately, individuals whom this applies to can apply for expungement for cannabis-based convictions if they are a resident charged with having 4 ounces or less of weed before January 1, 2000. If you don’t fall within those parameters, you may not be able to join in the celebration of others.

I wanted to also remind you all that you cannot legally grow cannabis at home in Connecticut if you do not currently have your cannabis medical card. I don't really know the ins and outs of all these cannabis-related policies, but I do know that adults that are 21 and over should be able to grow cannabis in their home after July in 2023 (just under 2 years from now). With that being said, it is also true that each household will be limited to a certain amount of plants that they can grow. Isn’t it strange that the government can decide how many plants you are able to grow? Well, they can. Each household will start off being able to grow 12 cannabis plants, and only 6 plants are allowed to be grown if there is just one person in the household.