Growing Cannabis at Home Will Officially Become Legal in Connecticut this Weekend
Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont signed the bill to legalize marijuana for the state in 2021. The delayed beginning of home growing was part of that legislation and officially goes into effect on July 1. The Department of Consumer Protection issued a reminder to individuals in the state about the upcoming change and wants those who choose to grow marijuana plants to do so safely and responsibly. Beginning July 1, it will be legal for adults 21 and older to grow up to six plants for personal use. Only three of the plants can be mature at a time and there is a 12 plant limit per household.
New York Cannabis Regulators Begin Initiative to Rein in Illicit Businesses
In the last two weeks, marijuana officials in New York have increased efforts to eliminate illegal marijuana businesses. In May, Governor Kathy Hochul signed legislation to crack down on the illicit market by authorizing the Office of Cannabis Management (OCM) and the Department of Taxation and Finance to enforce the crackdown with increased fines and penalties for violators. In the last two weeks alone, there have been over 33 inspections which have led to the seizure of over 1,000 pounds of illicit cannabis products. Dozens of violations were issued to unlicensed stores and businesses. Beginning June 7, the OCM and Department of Taxation and Finance have sent 31 violation notices to businesses operating in New York City, Ithaca, and Binghampton. The new law also permits the OCM to assess fines beginning at $10,000 per day.
Medical Marijuana Supply Far Exceeds Demand in Oklahoma
A recent study from the Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority (OMMA) found that the demand for medical cannabis in the state is far lower than the supply. The agency published a 24-page report confirming what many have suspected for several years. The study found that the supply is 32 times higher than patient demand. A contributor to the oversupply issue is that Oklahoma has few regulatory restrictions which allowed production to rapidly increase and unlicensed growing operations multiplied across the state. Officials have been working with law enforcement agencies to close the unlicensed businesses and the governor signed a moratorium on issuing any new MMJ licenses to combat the problem.
