Connecticut lawmakers, on May 4, approved a bill that would ban the gifting of items such as marijuana at cannabis bazaars. In late April, the bill advanced through the house after the Senate approved it in a 22-13 vote. It was not until late May that Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont (D) finally signed the legislation.
Ctpost.com reported, “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.”
This new legislation also restricts cannabis advertisements, eliminates fees for medical cannabis patients, sets up a task force to study hemp production, and requires the cannabis Equity Council members to attend half of the meetings or give up their seats.
Cannabis advocates raised concerns during a public virtual hearing streamed live in March. Christine Capitan, a member of Canna Warriors, a local organization, said, “It’s important to be able to gift cannabis because not everybody has the financial stability they need to enter into the medical program.” In response, Rep. Michael D’Agostino (D) of Hamden reiterated that the ban was proposed to prevent large-scale cannabis gifting. He continued by saying, “The idea was to really prevent and rein in these retail gifting events occurring in the state, which really are retail events.”
It should be noted that Connecticut was the 18th state in the U.S to legalize marijuana for recreational purposes in June 2021. 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 purchasing a T-shirt or souvenir. Cannabis advocates argue that since no direct payments are made in exchange for cannabis, bazaars should be legal under the current legislation.
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