Blog

CONSUMER PROTECTION RELEASES RESOURCES FOR THOSE SEEKING A HEMP MANUFACTURING LICENSE IN CONNECTICUT

Thursday, June 27th, 2019 – The Department of Consumer Protection (DCP) is advising those interested that the application for hemp consumables manufacturing licenses is now available online, along with additional guidance and resources. The signing of Public Act 19-3 allowed the state to begin a hemp pilot program with the Department of Agriculture (DoAG) regulating growers and processors, and DCP regulating manufacturers.

If someone plans to manufacture hemp products consumed in any way by people (food products, lotions, oils, etc.) through a process beyond chopping or grinding, such as heating or distillation, they need to be licensed with DCP. If anyone is simply chopping or grinding hemp, they do not require a license with DCP. Retailers of hemp products who are not manufacturing do not require a license.

“I am pleased that we have gotten this program up and running so quickly after the bill was signed,” said Consumer Protection Commissioner Michelle H. Seagull, “I want to thank the Department of Agriculture and our legislators for their support in making the start of this program a success. I look forward to this program growing as an important part of the state’s economy, and encourage those with questions about hemp manufacturing to reach out to us.”

Information about the hemp consumables manufacturing license, how to apply, testing requirements, and frequently asked questions can all be found by visiting portal.ct.gov/hempmfg.

Those with questions or concerns can contact DCP by emailing dcp.hemp@ct.gov.

###

Media Contact:
Lora Rae Anderson
lorarae.anderson@ct.gov
(860) 713-6019 (office)
(860) 247-8711 (cell)

Merry Jane

Researchers in Canada found that 45% of pain and anxiety patients eliminated the need for prescription pills with medical marijuana.

While cannabis has been proven to be medically beneficial in a number of ways, the most recent advantage to emerge is in the looming fight against prescription pill abuse. There have been a handful of studies that show marijuana is a viable treatment for opioid addicts, so much so that it’s even convinced the most conservative states to spearhead medical reform. 

Recent findings also show that cannabis has value by replacing other highly addictive prescription pills such as popular benzodiazepine tranquilizers. Canabo Medical Inc., the largest owner of medical marijuana referral clinics in Canada, has partnered with external medical researchers to study the positive effects that pot use has on anxiety and pain patients.

The study found that within 90 days of being prescribed medical marijuana, 40 percent of these patients stopped using benzodiazepines completely. That number rose even higher to 45 percent for those using cannabis after one year. According to Dr. Neil Smith, the executive chairman of Canabo, the tremendous results were “extremely promising.”

“When conducting this type of research, experts are typically encouraged by an efficacy rate in the neighborhood of 10 per cent. To see 45 per cent effectiveness demonstrates that the medical cannabis industry is at a real watershed moment,” Dr. Smith said. 

The collaborative study focused on 146 patients who were being treated with benzodiazepines for a variety of disorders. Over 61 percent of the patients were using medical cannabis for pain conditions, while 27.4 percent had a psychiatric disorder. The remaining 11.3 percent were using marijuana to treat neurological conditions.  

Popular brands of benzodiazepines include Valium and Xanax, which create short-term side effects such as dizziness, headaches, and memory impairment. Extended use of these pills can lead to severe addiction and even to a potentially lethal overdose. According to statistics released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in 2013, 30 percent of prescription pill overdoses in the U.S. resulted from benzodiazepines use, second only to opioids. 

It’s clear from these numbers that opioid abuse isn’t the only dangerous drug epidemic sweeping across North America, but research shows that cannabis can provide a life-saving alternative to both these highly addictive categories of prescription pills. As a growing number of victims continue to fall prey to opioid and benzodiazepine-induced overdoses, these studies will likely prove critical in the fight to legalize medical marijuana across the U.S. and beyond. 

An Israeli pharma-tech company Syqe Medical has announced the creation of the first-ever metered-dose cannabis inhaler, Arutz Sheva reports.

Syqe Medical presented the device on Thursday. It has been approved by the country’s Minister of health and is now seeking FDA approval.

The product will be distributed in Israel before any other country by Teva Pharmaceuticals, who has an exclusive deal with Syqe for the marketing and distribution of the drug in the region, Calcalist reports.

The company has raised a total of $83 million and the device has been in development for the past eight years, undergoing numerous clinical trials and regulatory screening processes before it was approved for sale, Syqe’s founder Perry Davidson was quoted saying.

The device uses a unique delivery method that Syqe says “provides symptom relief in minutes,” and its “unprecedented dosing precision achieves maximum relief while avoiding any undesired psychoactive effects.”

Although technically any patient with a medical cannabis licence may purchase the inhaler, which the company says will be delivered to patients’ doors, it may not be accessible to many. The device is priced at a costly NIS 1,950 (approx. CAD$711).

“Almost 80% of cannabis patients inhale the plant,” Davidson said. “For too long, physicians who wish to treat these patients have been without the most basic clinical knowledge on dosing, efficacy and adverse events of cannabis… This launch marks the beginning of a new chapter in pain treatment, one in which physicians can confidently prescribe precise dosages of cannabis.

Copied from https://www.thegrowthop.com/cannabis-health/after-investing-83-million-over-a-period-of-8-years-company-releases-worlds-first-cannabis-inhaler

As of right now, according to the DCP there are 33,741 MMJ patients in the CT Medical Marijuana Program (MMP) of which 7,930 are in New Haven County.

Statistic from the Department of Consumer Protection website at

https://portal.ct.gov/DCP/Medical-Marijuana-Program/Medical-Marijuana-Statistics

We have a lot going on here at The Grove and Bohemian High for people that create things and want to sell them.

• Sunday Indoor Bazaar – During the summer, when the Devon Farmers Market is open, The Grove has invited you to be apart of the indoor bazaar. We have space for at least six vendors to “hock their wares”. Click here if you are interested.
• Artist Wall Display – In our event space we have six 4 foot by 8 foot spaces to hang wall art. We display it during all of our events, manage sales and pay you at the end. Click here for more information.
• Training, Workshops and Classes – If you are good at what you do and want to pass the knowledge on, we will work with you and help you create a way to teach what you do. We do it with painters every month.
• Festival Vending – Bohemian High has a festival every year and has space for 12 vendors to participate in the festivities.
• Not Consignment – Bohemian High does not do consignment, BUT, if you schedule an appointment (203-301-4097), we will look at your items and possibly purchase them for sale in the store. We currently have about eight people we do this with.
• Front of the Store Vending – If you would like to work this out with us e are open to this option also, we did it last year during the Farmers Market pretty successfully.

We have been open any idea and have yet to turn away an idea. So if you want to do it we can probably work something out so you can get it done. You can contact us by email, info@thegrovect.com, phone 203-301-4006, stop in to Bohemian High or complete the form below and we will contact you.

No Fields Found.

Hi. We are doing an indoor bazaar on Sundays during July and August in conjunction with the Farmers Market which is held in the Parking lot adjacent to Bohemian High. We are going to run from 10-1 with 6 or 7 vendors max. We are asking $25 per table for a five foot table per week, you can reserve the entire 8 weeks and the fee will be $20 per week, or reserve select dates which you are available.

We provide:
– A five foot table
– Two chairs
– Airconditioned venue
– 30 minutes to set up and 30 minutes to break down (more time can be arranged)

Farmers Market provides:
– Foot traffic

Please complete the form below and someone will contact you, usually within 24 hours.

No Fields Found.

Copied directly from
Connecticut State Department of Consumer Protection

A patient may only register for a medical marijuana certificate if he or she is a Connecticut resident being treated for a debilitating medical condition by a Connecticut-licensed physician or advanced practice registered nurse. For Adults, Debilitating Medical Conditions Include:

• Cancer (Effective 2012)
• Glaucoma (Effective 2012)
• Positive Status for Human Immunodeficiency Virus or Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (Effective 2012)
• Parkinson’s Disease (Effective 2012)
• Multiple Sclerosis (Effective 2012)
• Damage to the Nervous Tissue of the Spinal Cord with Objective Neurological Indication of Intractable Spasticity (Effective 2012)
• Epilepsy (Effective 2012)
• Cachexia (Effective 2012)
• Wasting Syndrome (Effective 2012)
• Crohn’s Disease (Effective 2012)
• Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (Effective 2012)
• Sickle Cell Disease (Effective 2016)*
• Post Laminectomy Syndrome with Chronic Radiculopathy (Effective 2016)*
• Severe Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis (Effective 2016)*
• Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (Effective 2016)*
• Ulcerative Colitis (Effective 2016)*
• Complex Regional Pain Syndrome, Type 1 and Type II (Effective 2016)*
• Cerebral Palsy (Effective 2016)
• Cystic Fibrosis (Effective 2016)
• Irreversible Spinal Cord Injury with Objective Neurological Indication of Intractable Spasticity (Effective 2016)
• Terminal Illness Requiring End-Of-Life Care (Effective 2016)
• Uncontrolled Intractable Seizure Disorder (Effective 2016)
• Spasticity or Neuropathic Pain Associated with Fibromyalgia (Effective 2018)*
• Severe Rheumatoid Arthritis (Effective 2018)*
• Post Herpetic Neuralgia (Effective 2018)*
• Hydrocephalus with Intractable Headache (Effective 2018)*
• Intractable Headache Syndromes (Effective 2018)*
• Neuropathic Facial Pain (Effective 2018)*
• Muscular Dystrophy (Effective 2018)*
• Osteogenesis Imperfecta (Effective 2018)*
• Chronic Neuropathic Pain Associated with Degenerative Spinal Disorders (Effective 2018)*
• Interstitial Cystitis (Effective 2019)*
• MALS Syndrome (Median Arcuate Ligament Syndrome) (Effective 2019)*
• Vulvodynia and Vulvar Burning (Effective 2019)*
• Intractable Neuropathic Pain that Is Unresponsive to Standard Medical Treatments (Effective 2019)*
• Tourette Syndrome (Effective 2019)*

For Patients Under 18, Debilitating Medical Conditions Include:

• Cerebral Palsy (Effective 2016)
• Cystic Fibrosis (Effective 2016)
• Irreversible Spinal Cord Injury with Objective Neurological Indication of Intractable Spasticity (Effective 2016)
• Severe Epilepsy (Effective 2016)
• Terminal Illness Requiring End-Of-Life Care (Effective 2016)
• Uncontrolled Intractable Seizure Disorder (Effective 2016)
• Muscular Dystrophy (Effective 2018)*
• Osteogenesis Imperfecta (Effective 2018)*
• Intractable Neuropathic Pain that Is Unresponsive to Standard Medical Treatments (Effective 2019)*
• Tourette Syndrome for patients who have failed standard medical treatment (Effective 2019)*

* Conditions were approved by the Regulation Review Committee via the recommendation of the Board of Physicians and Commissioner of Consumer Protection.Qualifications for a Registration Certificate:

• Qualifying patient must be a Connecticut resident.
• Qualifying patient cannot be an inmate confined in a correctional institution or facility under the supervision of the Connecticut Department of Corrections.

Qualifications for a Registration Certificate:
Qualifying patient must be a Connecticut resident.
Qualifying patient cannot be an inmate confined in a correctional institution or facility under the supervision of the Connecticut Department of Corrections.

In April, the Grove worked out a deal with CannaHealth to help patients acquire their medical marijuana cards. On May 1st we opened the doors and certified five patients and did not certify one patient. I, personally feel great about our process, the clinician and our space mainly because we are legit and not just a rubber stamp certifying machine.

On May 8th we had some issues with scheduling, too many patients were scheduled at the same time resulting in longer than acceptable wait times, up to 1.5 hours. We immediately reviewed the scheduling process and made some changes.

Today, May 15th, nobody that was processed was here more than 1 hour. The 1 hour includes intake, completing initial paperwork, paperwork review prior to clinician visit, visiting with the clinician and registering with the state. Our goal is to get the entire process below 45 minutes.

Thank you to a great team and a continually improving process.

Bummer, it is too much work to cut a door between The Grove and Bohemian High. We put a hole in the sheetrock and found a cement block wall. We could cut the hole for a door, but way too much work and cost at this time.

On a good note, the resources we were going to spend on the passage way can now be used for the wall dividing the event area and the back office area, yea!