A host of new laws will take effect in Connecticut Oct. 1, including some that include new rules for the state’s existing medical and forthcoming adult-use cannabis markets.
Gov. Ned Lamont signed an adult-use legalization bill in June, and the new cannabis law includes several changes to the state’s smoking restrictions for cigarettes, cigars and vaping, according to the Hartford Courant.
New rules prohibit smoking within 25 feet of buildings that serve the public, such as restaurants and retail stores, the news outlet reported. The new law also prohibits smoking in hotels, motels, prisons and psychiatric facilities.
In addition, communities with more than 50,000 residents must designate an area for cannabis use, such as a section of a park, according to the Hartford Courant.
While the new law allows people to smoke cannabis anywhere that they are permitted to smoke cigarettes, towns can draft their own rules based on local zoning regulations, the news outlet reported.
New laws taking effect next month also allow medical cannabis patients to grow their own plants at home.
Beginning Oct. 1, registered patients who are 18 and older can grow six plants at home, with a maximum of 12 plants allowed per household, the Hartford Courant reported.
Adults 21 and older can grow their own plants beginning in July 2023 under Connecticut’s cannabis law, according to the news outlet, and adult-use retail sales are expected to launch in May 2022.
