Cannabis is a budding business in Connecticut. And now there are signs that its popularity is negatively impacting the people who need the product most.
Eileen Kopec of Groton said, “I have rheumatoid arthritis. I have severe pain. I need the higher concentrated items to treat my particular concerns.” Kopec is one of many medical cannabis patients who reached out to FOX61 to share concerns that ever since recreational sales started, the more potent medical menu she relies on has shrunk, and the prices have climbed. “The prices on the flowers went up from a few dollars to as much as $5.” The product started to decrease, especially with the concentrates and the oils and things like that.
At Fine Fettle in Newington, the medical menu went from about 400 products to 180. Producers have ramped up their gummy supply but have decreased other edible offerings. “There was a redistribution of products and a little bit of a shift in focus on the grower side,” explained Fine Fettle General Manager Dennis So.
Connecticut’s entire cannabis industry is supplied by just four growers. Should there be more? “I would say yes. As we start seeing more growers come online, this issue of supply will no longer be an issue,” said So. In a statement, the Connecticut Medical Cannabis Council said, “as demand continues to stabilize, we are responding by quickly ramping up additional supply.”
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