Connecticut is just a few weeks away from legal recreational cannabis sales.
Connecticut is just a few weeks away from legal recreational cannabis sales.
“The purpose of our organization is to help all the new people in this space, all the new businesses,” Connecticut Cannabis Chamber of Commerce President Adam Wood said.
On Wednesday, the Connecticut Cannabis Chamber of Commerce hosted its first ever Together We Grow event. President Adam Wood said the goal is to help people in the industry connect with the resources they need, including meeting with state leaders, financial institutions, cultivators and construction companies.
“We want to be the voice of this industry in Hartford at the state capitol but also in Washington D.C. moving forward to make sure the industry continues to grow,” Wood said.
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Over 20 of Connecticut’s newly licensed adult-use cannabis business owners were in attendance including The Botanist, a medical dispensary in Connecticut that will now enter the recreation industry.
“Part of the thing about this is it’s going to allow us to capture the illicit market, we see what happens when people get marijuana or cannabis that is faced with fentanyl, individuals who use marijuana recreationally should have safe options,” The Botanist EVP Government Relations Bryan Murray said.
Adult-use cannabis is expected to bring in between $50 million to $120 million in tax revenue during the first year.
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“That number will grow as the industry grows and as sales ramp up,” Wood said.
Cultivators that have social equity licenses are required to operate in areas that were disproportionately impacted by the war on drugs.
In 2023, the industry is expected to create over 5,000 across the state.
“Marginalized communities have been impacted the most. And so now we have an opportunity to correct that wrong by providing opportunities, as well as employment,” Black Chamber of Commerce President Deborah Caviness said.
