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The Department of Consumer Protection is responsible for licensing and regulating medical and adult-use cannabis establishments in Connecticut. For questions about adult-use cannabis licensing and regulation, please email dcp.cannabis@ct.gov. 

Related: Review our Licensing Frequently Asked Questions

Cannabis Establishment Licenses:

Applications for Cannabis Establishment licenses will start to become available on February 3, 2022. The release of additional license type applications will continue on a schedule until the first lottery round for all license types is complete.

eLicense Application Instructions

IMPORTANT: All individuals that are identified as backers associated with the cannabis establishment application must also complete a backer application before the close of the application window to ensure they are considered as part of the application.

There are 14 different cannabis licenses and registrations issued by the Department. Below is general information about each license type. Click on each license type for more information, including how and when to apply:

Growing

• Cultivator – Grows cannabis for medical and adult use. At least 15,000 square feet of grow space is required for this license type.
• Micro-cultivator – Grows cannabis for medical and adult use. Between 2,000 and 10,000 square feet of grow space, prior to any expansion authorized by the commissioner. May apply for an expansion of grow space in increments of 5,000 square feet per year.
• Producer – Grows cannabis for medicinal use. No additional licenses for producers will be issued at this time. Producers interested in growing cannabis for adult-use may apply to convert their license to an expanded producer license.

Manufacturing

• Product Manufacturer – Performs cannabis extraction, chemical synthesis and permitted manufacturing activities.
• Food and Beverage Manufacturer – Incorporate cannabis into food or beverage intended for human consumption.
• Product Packager – Labels and packages cannabis in compliance with state statutes, regulations and policies.

Sales

• Retailer – Sells cannabis only to consumers for adult-use.
• Hybrid Retailer – Sells cannabis to consumers for adult-use and to qualifying patients and caregivers for medical use.
• Dispensary Facility – Sells cannabis only to qualifying patients and caregivers for medical use. No additional dispensary facility licenses will be issued at this time. Existing dispensary facilities may apply to convert their license to a hybrid retail license to allow for the sale of both adult-use and medical marijuana.

Delivery and Transportation

• Delivery Service – Delivers cannabis from cannabis establishments to consumers, qualifying patients and caregivers, as applicable.
• Transporter – Delivers cannabis between cannabis establishments, laboratories, and research programs.

Laboratories

• Cannabis Testing Laboratory – A laboratory authorized to engage in testing and analyzing cannabis.

Individual Licenses and Registrations

• Backer – Has a direct or indirect financial interest in a cannabis establishment, and owns 5% or more of a cannabis establishment, in the aggregate with their spouse, parent or child, or participates directly or indirectly in the control, management or operation of the cannabis establishment.
• Key employee – Employees with specific managerial positions or an equivalent title within a cannabis establishment
• Employee – Any person employed by a cannabis establishment or who otherwise has access to such establishment , and board members of a company with an ownership interest in a cannabis establishment. 

Labor Organization Approval

• Bona Fide Labor Organizations – Any provisional cannabis establishment licensee shall, as a condition of its final license approval enter into a labor peace agreement with a bona fide labor organization.

Technical Assistance

The Department of Consumer Protection has been assisting the Social Equity Council in conducting technical assistance webinars to support potential applicants in the licensing process. Recordings of the technical assistance webinars can be viewed on the Social Equity Council's YouTube page.