The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
State OKs 9 new medical pot shops
STAMFORD — The City that Works will likely soon be one of 18 cities that smoke — medical marijuana, that is — after the state announced Tuesday the approval of nine new dispensary locations.
The approvals, a virtual doubling of the medical marijuana program, also make way for dispensaries in Westport, Meriden and New Haven. Including Stamford, the new outposts are expected to serve the nearly 30,450 patients.
Earlier this year, the Stamford Zoning Board heard arguments from roughly a dozen applicants seeking to open a dispensary in the city. Most of the applications sought to open shop where one has now been approved — in a East Side shopping plaza, 806 East Main St.
The state Tuesday picked Arrow Alternative Care’s application to open a dispensary there. This will be Arrow’s third location. The company has dispensaries in Hartford and Milford.
The new locations will join the nine existing pharmacist-led dispensaries and four producers in what is regarded as one of the leading medical-cannabis programs in the country.
Michelle H. Seagull, commissioner of the state Department of Consumer Protection, which administers the program, said that the number of patients has more than tripled since the last dispensary licenses were awarded nearly three years ago.
“This program has been thoughtfully expanded since the bill was signed in
2012, and medication became available to patients in 2014,” Seagull said in a statement “Originally, there were only 11 conditions that would qualify adults for medication, and there were very few patients. Today, there are 31 conditions for adults, eight for patients under 18, and over 1,000 certifying practitioners. This medication has improved the quality of life for tens of thousands of patients. We look forward to working with our partners as the program continues to expand.”
In recent weeks the General Assembly’s Regulation Review Committee approved new ailments for inclusion in the program, including the intractable headaches of migraine sufferers.
In total, 73 applications were received for this expansion. The winners are: Bhadra Seva, 2280 Berlin Turnpike, Newington; GR Vending CT, LLC, 78 Plaza Court, Groton; Willow Brook Wellness, LLC, 1371 East Main Street, Meriden; Tedra Health, LLC, 1768 Storrs Road, Mansfield; C-3 Ventures, LLC, 3568 Winsted Road, Torrington; Arrow Alternative Care #3, 806 East Main Street, Stamford; Bluepoint Wellness of Westport, LLC, 1460 Post Road East, Westport; FFD Central, LLC, 1548 West Main Street, Windham; and Affinity Health & Wellness, Inc. 1351 Whalley Avenue New Haven.
The new dispensaries need to pay license fees and submit final documents within two weeks, and have a 180-day deadline to build, open and serve patients.