Connecticut joined the ranks as one of the most recent states to legalize recreational cannabis on July 1, 2021, allowing adults to possess small amounts of cannabis and launching retail sales on Jan. 10, 2023.
Now six months into sales, the state saw nearly $24 million in combined medical and recreational cannabis sales in June, hitting a new record monthly high, according to the Department of Consumer Protection (DCP). Since sales first began in January, the total amount of Connecticut cannabis purchases totals to approximately $122 million.
In June 2023, the adult-use market recorded $12.5 million in sales, while the medical cannabis market recorded $11.3 million in sales. This made June the second month in a row where adult-use sales exceeded medical cannabis sales. The DCP also notes that adult-use consumers purchased a total of 313,510 products, while medical cannabis patients purchased 303,293 products. The average product price among medical cannabis patients was $37.43 in June, and the average price of an adult-use product was $40.
Along with the sales figures, the DCP also shared new data surrounding the types of products sold by dollar amount. The data set contains figures for the first six months of sales, and the department will continue to update it monthly along with all previously available data.
It indicates Connecticut sales generally follow broader patterns, namely with cannabis flower as the most popular offering. During the first six months of sales, 53% went toward cannabis flower, followed by vapes at 25% and edible products representing 10% of sales. DCP collected data through the state’s seed-to-sale tracking system.
“The preliminary data does not include taxes collected at the point of sale on adult-use transactions and is subject to further review by the department,” DCP said. “Medical marijuana patients do not pay taxes on the purchase of their medicine.”
Regarding medical cannabis sales data prior to Jan. 10, 2023, seed-to-sale tracking was not previously required for medical cannabis sales in Connecticut. Therefore, sales data for previous time periods is not available. Today, adult-use and medical cannabis sales are recorded in the inventory tracking system Biotrack, allowing for future tracking of both medical and recreational cannabis sales.
In Connecticut, transaction limits of a quarter ounce of flower or the equivalent is currently in effect for all adult-use purchases. Medical cannabis patients are allowed to purchase up to five ounces a month and are not subject to individual transaction limits.
The law that legalized cannabis in Connecticut allows adult consumers to possess up to 1.5 ounces of cannabis, while medical cannabis patients can grow up to three mature and three immature plants at home, maxing out at 12 total plants per household. Adults over 21 without a medical card were officially allowed to grow under the same rules beginning July 1, 2023. Plants must be grown indoors and cannot be visible from the street.
Before the new growing law for recreational consumers took effect, DCP published a notice to remind the public of the policy change, detailing the rules and reminding prospective growers to cultivate cannabis responsibly.
“Adults who choose to grow their own cannabis should use safe and healthy gardening practices for growing any products they intend to consume,” DCP Commissioner Bryan T. Cafferelli said. “Plants should also be kept indoors, out of reach and out of sight from children and pets.”
Additionally, Rodrick J. Marriott, director of the DCP’s Drug Control Division, harped on the need for proper grow practices, namely to ensure that cannabis is kept out of the hands of youth once harvested. All plants must be grown in a secure, locked area, and Marriott also harped on the need to center safe cultivation practices.
“The cannabis plants must be kept indoors, in locked areas, secured from access from anyone other than the consumer or qualifying patient or caregiver,” Marriott said. “Any time that you’re using cannabis you want to make sure that you keep it out of the reach of children. And obviously, we don’t want people to have their pets ingest it either, it can cause them to be ill as well.”
Connecticut recreational sales similarly saw a record high the previous month in May, which was also the first time that recreational sales surpassed medical sales for the state. The DCP plans to update sales data monthly on or after the 10th of each month, and new data will continue to be added as it’s made available, according to the department.
