Connecticut Enacts Cannabis Gifting Ban & Regulates Industry Advertising

Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont (D) on Tuesday signed a bill prohibiting cannabis gifting in exchange for donations or indirect payment and allowing towns to levy up to $1,000 fines for violations, CT News Junkie reports. The legislation includes provisions explicitly allowing individuals from sharing with friends and family as long as the exchange is not transactional.

Lamont also signed a bill to regulate cannabis advertising in the state, restricting ads within 1,500 yards of schools and churches and prohibiting billboard advertising by cannabis companies that are not licensed in Connecticut. The measure only allows ads featuring cannabis plants between the hours of 11 p.m. and 6 a.m. in an effort to limit exposure to children.

During the gifting bill debate earlier this month, Republican Sen. Kevin Witkos said the legislation closes “a loophole in the law that has been exploited by others to be allowed to sell in an unregulated market a regulated product.”

Lamont signed the state’s adult-use legalization bill in June, but sales have yet to commence. Adults are currently allowed to possess up to 1.5 ounces of cannabis in public and up to 5 ounces in their homes. The state’s current medical cannabis dispensaries are expected to be the first licensed to sell to adults without a medical recommendation but, according to a CT Mirror report, it’s still unclear when general retail sales will occur.

Medical cannabis patients have been allowed to grow their own cannabis at home since October 1, 2021, while adults without a medical card will have to wait until July 1, 2023, according to the Department of Consumer Protection website.