The recreational cannabis bill has changed a lot in our state, including what type of CBD and hemp products can be sold.

Tobacco shops like this one in West Hartford used to be able to sell CBD oils with higher THC levels – but not now. The owner tells us it wasn’t a significant revenue stream, but wishes the state would have given them a little more lead time about the change.

A local wholesaler of these products has also been impacted by the July 1 change.

“Any products that were currently on the market, hemp-derived or cannabis-derived, with levels of concentrates higher than 3/10ths percent, were automatically considered illegal now,” Trae Riddle of Team Oops Products said. 

That meant Riddle and his sister Indigo Jarman-Cohn of Team Oops Products were left with a lot of inventory. 

“We decided that we’re just going to give them away. It’s definitely defined within the bill that you can gift cannabis,” Riddle said. 

Riddle will be giving away Delta 8 gummies which he can no longer sell. 

“I don’t consider it a loss because this is our way of being able to say thank you for all the support we’ve received,” Riddle said. 

Riddle said they will be looking to apply for a license to continue as a food and beverage manufacturer once the Department of Consumer Protection (DCP) makes it available.

“If we can get a Delta 8 manufacturing license until then. That would be awesome. I would love to do that,” Riddle said.

The DCP sent out guidance at the end of June on what products would become illegal on July 1. The guidance included hemp and CBD products with the designation Delta 7, 8, 9 and 10. According to the release, “Delta-8 is known to have psychoactive effects. License applications are not yet available.”

For those who want to understand the state’s new law better, there’s now a website for that ct.gov/cannabis.

The website makes it clear that individuals can gift cannabis to each other, but not sell it.

Retail sales in Connecticut won’t start until 2022.