CT: Adult-use social equity lottery process opens today

Urge state officials to create opportunities for small business owners!

Good news! Today, a 90-day application period for Disproportionately Impacted Cultivators and Social Equity Retailers opens. These are the first of nine adult-use cannabis license types that will become available as a result of Connecticut’s 2021 legalization law.

Applications can be found here and must be completed through an online portal. Information about what is required to apply for each license type is available at ct.gov/cannabis. Interested applicants can also view a description of each license type here. The application period for the remaining license types opens on the following days:

• Micro-cultivator: February 10, 2022
• Delivery Service: February 17, 2022
• Hybrid Retailer: February 24, 2022
• Food and Beverage: March 3, 2022
• Product Manufacturer: March 10, 2022  
• Product Packager: March 17, 2022
• Transporter: March 24, 2022

Licenses will be reviewed after each application period ends in 90 days. In each licensing round there are a limited number of licenses available through the social equity and open license lottery:

• Retailer: 6 general licenses, 6 social equity licenses
• Micro-cultivator: 2 general licenses, 2 social equity licenses
• Delivery Service: 5 general licenses, 5 social equity licenses
• Hybrid Retailer: 2 general licenses, 2 social equity licenses
• Food and Beverage: 5 general licenses, 5 social equity licenses
• Product Packager: 3 general licenses, 3 social equity licenses
• Product Manufacturer: 3 general licenses, 3 social equity licenses
• Transporter: 2 general licenses, 2 social equity licenses

Also, late last week, MPP and cannabis allies called on the Department of Consumer Protection Commissioner and Gov. Ned Lamont to limit the number of businesses existing medical operators can create in order to allow more licenses to be available through the lottery process. We know that a diverse, stratified market benefits consumers and the economics of Connecticut. Consider adding your voice to our call for increased opportunities for equity and small business applicants. 

As the adult-use market continues to roll out in Connecticut, we’ll continue to keep you updated on all the progress.