CT to reconsider some cannabis license applications in wake of lawsuits

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The Connecticut Social Equity Council will allow seven cannabis companies to reapply for licenses for forthcoming adult-use cannabis sales.

That means at least two of the companies involved in a consolidated lawsuit of 11 applicants who were previously rejected will have another opportunity to land a coveted permit, according to the CT  Mirror.

The rejected applicants will have 10 days to submit new applications that clarify who owns and controls the aspiring marijuana businesses.

The move came after the Social Equity Council (SEC) recently approved a new definition of an owner – someone who “exercises operational authority over daily affairs of the business, has the voting power to direct the management agents and policies and receives the beneficial interests of the business.”

The SEC will have 30 days to consider each application for its Social Equity Partner program

Social Equity Partners are companies that are at least 65% owned or controlled by Connecticut citizens who live in “communities disproportionately impacted by drug conviction and high unemployment rates,” the CT Mirror reported.

A number of other applications have already been considered under the new rules and with the recommendation of the Council’s third-party consultant, New York-based CohnReznick.