HARTFORD, Conn — While advocates gathered at the State Capitol to push for further changes to Connecticut’s new recreational cannabis industry, one cannabis company is growing its footprint in Connecticut and opening the first adult-use shop in Hartford.
Curaleaf wasn’t allowed to advertise for the opening of its first adult-use site in Hartford until it opened. Now, it’s gearing up for a party Friday. But as the state’s newly opened recreational industry continues to grow, advocates gathered at the capitol seeking to be a voice for people still in prison for cannabis-related crimes.
Luis Vega was previously arrested and convicted for the cultivation and sale of cannabis. Now he’s a social equity operator at a Shelton hemp farm.
“It’s one of the hardest things that I can imagine talking about publicly and here I am today,” said Luis Vega of Nautalis Botanicals. “I can’t hire people that were in the exact same position that I was. This bill will allow me to onboard individuals that have cannabis experience through the legacy market that have been previously convicted and served time.”
Connecticut’s recreational marijuana market opened in January, garnering $2 million in the first week alone. The state is slated to make $5 billion in the first 10 years.
In January, Governor Ned Lamont announced Connecticut would erase cannabis-related convictions in more than 40 thousand cannabis cases but advocates said that only involved sentences were already served. They held a press conference at the Legislative Office Building Wednesday to say people behind bars deserve a second chance when others are profiting from the industry.
“We must fight, still, the war on drugs,” said Rep. Anthony Nolan, D, New London.
“We have to do what is humane, what is just and what is equitable,” said Rep. Robyn Porter, D, New Haven.
The legislature’s powerful Judiciary Committee took up House Bill 8767, a bill that would allow Vega to hire people with experience even if that experience was illegal at the time. It would also reconsider sentences for people behind bars for marijuana activity and drop pending prosecutions.
Meanwhile, Curaleaf is looking to celebrate the opening of its latest hybrid medical and now recreational facility on Weston Street in Hartford with an opening celebration this Friday.
“It feels pretty huge. It’s exciting to be able to open our doors to the public. Being able to let everybody on our sales floor to see what we have to offer here has been great,” said Morgan Murphy, Senior Compliance Manager.
Samaia Hernandez is a reporter for FOX61 News. She can be reached at shernandez@fox61.com. Follow her on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
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