Employment & Labor Issues

In general, the cannabis law prohibits many employers from disciplining employees, or denying employment to applicants for off-duty recreational marijuana use, as long as the employee is not intoxicated while at work. The law includes specific limitations on what some employers can, and cannot do, when their employees use cannabis.

The sale of cannabis without a license is a per se violation of the Connecticut Unfair Trade Practices Act, which allows municipalities to bring an action in court. If the municipal CEO determines that a business is operating in violation of the law or poses an immediate threat to public health and safety, you may apply to the superior court for an order to take possession of prohibited merchandise.

The law also imposes liability upon any person who aids or abets a violation of the statute and imposes a civil penalty of $30,000 for each violation. In addition, it imposes liability on commercial landlords who knowingly rent or lease property to a business selling cannabis products and imposes a civil penalty of $10,000 for each violation; Municipalities may recover their costs by instituting a legal action. Specifically, half the remainder of the civil penalty is payable to the impacted municipality, while the other half shall go to the State General Fund.

Social Equity Council

The Social Equity Council (SEC) was created to promote and encourage full participation in the cannabis industry by people and communities disproportionately harmed by the “War on Drugs.” In addition, they are responsible for supporting broad-based economic reinvestment in those targeted communities. The SEC is comprised of 17 members, seven (8) of whom are appointed by legislators, four (5) of whom are appointed by the governor, and four (4) of whom are ex-officio members. The SEC is administered within the Department of Economic and Community Development (DECD).

Specifically, the SEC responsible for certifying which geographic areas qualify for social equity program under the new adult-use cannabis law Disproportionately Impacted Areas (DIAs).

The SEC is responsible for reviewing workforce development plans, social equity joint ventures, cannabis license applications. The SEC continues to recommend the creation of programs to ensure that individuals from communities that have been disproportionately harmed by cannabis prohibition and enforcement are provided equal access to licenses for cannabis establishments by (a) establishing additional qualifications for Social Equity Applicants (SEAs), (b) providing for expedited or priority license processing for Social Equity Applicants (SEAs), and (c) establishing minimum criteria for any licensed cannabis establishment to comply with a workforce development plan to reinvest or provide employment and training opportunities for individuals in DIAs.

Further Resources:

https://cloudshare.ccm-ct.org/index.php/s/nj7XX76snGPObDr

• Model ordinances:

• Zone for establishment

• Zone against establishments

• Implement moratorium

• Ordinance for usage

• Cultivator zoning/allowance

• Map of state outlining zoning: https://public.tableau.com/app/ profile/max.friedman/viz/CannabisZoningMap/MunicipalZoningofCannabisSales

• Other info graphs or statistics: https://portal.ct.gov/cannabis/knowledge-base/articles/ statistics-and-documents?language=en_US