HARTFORD, Conn. — Cannabis is a budding business in Connecticut. And now there are signs that’s its popularity is negatively impacting the people who need the product most.
Eileen Kopec of Groton said, “I have rheumatoid arthritis. I have severe pain. I need the higher concentrated items to treat my particular concerns.” Kopec is one of many medical cannabis patients who reached out to FOX61 to share concerns that ever since recreational sales started, the more potent medical menu she relies on has shrunk and the prices have climbed. “The prices on the flowers went up from a few dollars to as much as $5.” The product started to decrease. Especially with the concentrates and the oils and things like that.
At Fine Fettle in Newington, the medical menu went from about 400 products to 180. Producers have ramped up gummy supply but have decreased other edible offerings. “There was a redistribution of products and a little bit of a shift in focus on the grower side,” explained Fine Fettle General Manager Dennis So.
Connecticut’s entire cannabis industry is supplied by just four growers. Should there be more? “I would say yes. As we start seeing more growers come online, this issue of supply will no longer be an issue,” said So.
In a statement, the Connecticut Medical Cannabis Council said, “as demand continues to stabilize…we are responding by quickly ramping up additional supply…”
Fine Fettle hopes to be part of that solution. They are expanding from dispensary to a grower. They have secured both a license and a facility in Bloomfield. “We will start to see more competitive pricing and product availability so we are really excited to see more growers come online,” added So.
Connecticut’s cannabis industry is regulated and overseen by the state Department of Consumer Protection. In a statement they said, in part, “The Department of Consumer Protection says their drug control team, “continues daily monitoring and evaluation of the information in the seed to sale tracking system, complaints, and the medical preservation plans.”
DCP noted that for February, medical patients purchased more products than recreational customers while on average, spending less.
FOX61 was also able to reach one of Connecticut’s cannabis producers, CTPharma. They told us to write an email with questions but we have not heard back.
Matt Caron is a reporter at FOX61 News. He can be reached at mcaron@fox61.com. Follow him on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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