The current framework has created an environment where less than a handful of producers dominate the market due to restrictions on new providers designed by the politicians. The lack of competition is concerning but so is the way that the government watch dog agency is changing safety standards to allow greater toxicity to be present in the medicine so they don't need to be worried about losing money on a dirty batch that can be remediated/irradiated to be able to fool the testing mechanism.

The Department of Consumer Protection, which is supposed to safeguard citizens' interests, shockingly raised permissible mold limits by 100X from 10,000 CFU to 1 million CFU. This decision raises serious concerns about patient safety and product quality.

Moreover, recent licenses were granted either through manipulation of the lottery system via multiple entries and/or due to political connections. Such practices deprive the patient of high quality medicine, undermine the idea of merit-based capitalism, prevent capable providers from entering the market, diminish tax revenue and increase the footprint of the black market.

We propose adopting Maine's model or an equivalent program that allows open competition with no barriers to entry. There was a provision in the latest law that called for a review of the possibility of home-grown sales. Home grown sales modeled after Maine's medical open competition could be a viable option going forward. Assuming good faith in that provision to investigate home grown sales, and that it was not just an election year gimmick.

It is time we prioritize patient needs over politics in Connecticut's medical cannabis industry. Sign this petition if you believe in open competition within the medical market and high-quality medical cannabis for all patients in our state.