Connecticut: 'Gifting' Marijuana At 'Cannabis Bazaars' Punishable By Up To $1,000 Fines

On May 4, Connecticut lawmakers gave the green light to a bill that would ban so-called gifting events involving marijuana, also known as cannabis bazaars. The bill, which advanced through the House in late April, was approved by the Senate in a 22-13 vote. Governor, Ned Lamont (D) finally signed the legislation in late May.

“Municipalities can now fine residents up to $1,000 for gifting a cannabis plant or other cannabis-related product to another individual in exchange for any kind of donation, including an admission fee, or as part of any giveaway such as a swag bag. The state can also separately issue $1,000 fines for failing to pay sales taxes,” reported ctpost.com
In addition, the legislation restricts cannabis advertisements, eliminates fees for medical cannabis patients, creates a task force to study hemp production and requires members of the cannabis Social Equity Council to attend half of the meetings or give up their seats.

Cannabis Advocates Expressed Concerns 

During a public virtual hearing streamed live in March, business owners and cannabis advocates expressed concerns about the bill that seeks to address the loophole of cannabis “gifting.” 

“It’s important to be able to gift cannabis because not everybody has the financial stability that they need in order to enter into the medical program,” said Christine Capitan from Canna Warriors, a local organization.

Rep. Michael D’Agostino (D) of Hamden said the newly proposed bill was created to deter large-scale gifting.

The idea was to “really prevent and rein in these retail gifting events that have been occurring in the state, which really are retail events,” D’Agostino said.

Connecticut became the 18th state in the union to legalize marijuana for recreational purposes in June 2021. 

How Does ‘Gifting’ Work?

In Connecticut, people pay a fee to attend "cannabis bazaars"  where they can exchange items for cannabis-related products or include a cannabis product as part of a purchase of a T-shirt or souvenir. Supporters of gifting argue there are no direct payments made in exchange for cannabis and assert that under the current legislation, the bazaars should be legal in Connecticut.

NYS Also Banned Cannabis Gifting

The New York State Cannabis Control Board proclaimed marijuana gifting to be illegal in October 2021.

In February 2022, The New York State Office of Cannabis Management (OCM) started sending letters to unlicensed businesses suspected of selling cannabis as gifts with a purchase.

Meanwhile, New Yorkers still can't walk into a shop and buy weed, and it seems that they will not be able to do so any time soon. Despite warnings from the state regulators, unlicensed marijuana dispensaries continue to multiply in New York City.

Photo by Ekaterina Shevchenko On Unsplash.