Connecticut scraps municipal limit on marijuana retail stores, small grows

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Connecticut legislators removed a rule that limited the number of marijuana micro-grows and retail operations in a municipality, opening up the zoning options for towns and cities in the state.

The state Department of Consumer Protection eliminated the rule limiting the number of marijuana stores and small cultivation operations to one per 25,000 residents, the Norwich Bulletin reported.

“It was a local zoning issue, even in the first iteration of the bill,” Kaitlyn Krasselt, communications director for the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection, told the Bulletin.

“It’s up to towns to decide how many businesses are appropriate for their town.”

However, the cap could be reinstated as soon as 2024 if regulators choose to do so, though Krasselt doesn’t expect that to happen.

Municipalities that still don’t allow marijuana businesses are not affected by the change in the rule.

Ginnie-Rae Clay, executive director of the Social Equity Council (SEC), said some areas in the state asked for the change.

The SEC decides which social equity applicants are eligible for marijuana business licenses and provides them support.

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