Gov. Dannel Malloy has signed HB 5389, officially making Connecticut the 17th medical marijuana state!
The bulk of the bill will go into effect on October 1, 2012. After that, qualifying patients will be able to obtain temporary registrations to possess marijuana.
To qualify, a patient must have a doctor’s written certification and one of the following conditions: glaucoma, HIV/AIDS, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis, spinal cord damage causing spasms, epilepsy, cachexia, wasting syndrome, Crohn’s disease, PTSD, or a condition added by the Department of Consumer Protection.
HB 5389 provides for access through licensed dispensaries, which only pharmacists will be allowed to file applications for. Dispensaries may obtain marijuana from licensed producers, who will pay an application fee of at least $25,000.
Click here to read MPP’s summary of the new law.
This victory follows years of hard work from several organizations, seriously ill patients, legislators, and advocates. Congratulations to everyone who made it possible!
“Each producer
application must include a non-refundable fee of at least $25,000. The Consumer Protection
department will decide the frequency of renewal, which will be at least every five years. Each licensed producer may be required to maintain an escrow account in a financial institution in the
state in an amount of two million dollars.”
How does that $25k application fee and possibility of a two million dollar escrow account compare to other state fees and requirements? Seems very high. What are these amounts based on?
Don,
I am not sure what the figures are based on. I asked a New Mexico producer and their start-up and early operations costs were more like $250,000, so up to $2 million sounds like a very high amount to possibly require in escrow. No other state has a $25,000 (or higher) application fee. It is also unknown what the registration fees will be in Connecticut, which would be in addition to the application fees.
Only D.C. and Colorado have different registrations for larger-scale producers and dispensaries. In Colorado, state fees for dispensaries range from $7,500 to $18,000, and fees for kitchens and cultivation are $1,200 each. However, local fees are also charged in Colorado and growers must be associated with dispensaries. In D.C., application fees are $5,000. In addition, the annual fee for dispensaries in D.C. is $10,000 and the annual fee for cultivators is $5,000.
In Maine, dispensaries were charged a $15,000 application fee. $14,000 was refunded to unsuccessful applicants. In New Mexico, producers’ application fees are $1,000. (Producers also dispense in New Mexico.) In New Mexico, annual registration fees range from $5,000 to $30,000, depending on how long they’ve operated.
Rhode Island charged $250 for applications for compassion centers and $5,000 for each registration. Arizona charges $5,000 for each dispensary application and will charge up to $1,000 for each renewal. Vermont is charging $2,500 for an application. It will also charge $20,000 for a first year registry fee and $30,000 for future years’ registry fees.
Hey everyone, Oregon’s IP-24 campaign (a constitutional amendment which would legalize adult marijuana possession) is in serious need of donations.
They are very close to meeting the signature requirement but may have to cease operations as early as next week if funding doesn’t come through.
If you can kick in $20, $50, $100, it would be a big help. Donations can be made here:
https://www.c-esystems.com/ompi/donation.aspx
So now you need a Doctor of Pharmacy to legally sell pot because it’s so dangerously unpredictable.
Thanks for that informative response, Karen. For another comparison, I looked up pharmacy license fees in Connecticut for a wholesaler of controlled substances. That application fee is $350.
http://www.ct.gov/dcp/lib/dcp/pdf/applications_october_2009/csw-09oct.pdf
The $25,000 application fee is primarily a way for the state to make a buck on this wildly popular product. As other states catch on to this income stream, we can expect that the application fee will come down as states compete to create more in-state applicants and keep consumers from going to the lower-cost out-of-state providers. This is a pretty mercenary approach to the distribution (i.e., a money-grab), BUT it means that the CONSUMERS are now protected, and with time that will mean greater political impact by out-spoken consumers as they lobby for better (i.e., cheaper) access. Inch by inch, mile by mile…
The 25k and 2 million$ requirements are probably a way to keep legitimate small business owners a chance to provide help in this state and guaranteeing only those who have most likely already paid off their local representatives. This seems like corruption to its very core when considering the same costs across the board in other states. I’m almost positive that the “3 to 10″ licenses the state will give out are already paid and planned for. I only wish I had had the cash to bribe my reps and get a foot in the door. Alas, it’s too much work in a state filled with the typical bureaucratic corruption to bother with the effort sometimes when you’re not on level playing fields. CT is also one of the worst states in the country for small business opportunities. It’s the state most responsible for the largest scam of all time: insurance.
“a way to keep legit small business owners [from having any] chance” it should read above..
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