Connecticut AG Sues Wholesalers, Retailers in Connection to High-THC Cannabis Sales

Connecticut’s adult-use cannabis marketplace is now a year old, but the state’s struggle to contain unregulated products sold at vape shops and gas stations continues. State officials, however, aren’t backing down from cracking down.

Attorney General William Tong made this clear Jan. 9, when he filed enforcement actions against four unlicensed retailers and three wholesalers his office claims have repeatedly engaged in the sale and distribution of unregulated cannabis products that don’t meet Connecticut’s potency standards.

Specifically, the state’s adult-use regulations for edible products cap packaged items at 100 milligrams of THC per container and 5 milligrams of THC per serving size. Five-milligram gummies, for example, could come in no more than 20 per pack.

In one instance, a wholesaler being sued by the state was supplying cannabis products that contained THC levels 35 times the maximum permissible limit under Connecticut regulations as well as serving sizes at least five times the maximum allowed, according to the attorney general’s office.

“Cannabis is legal for adults in Connecticut, but it’s not a free-for-all—retailers must be licensed, and legal cannabis products must comply with strict safety standards,” Tong said in a press release Tuesday. “Today, we are suing seven businesses … who have sold potent, high-THC cannabis products in violation of Connecticut laws. None of these products have been subject to Connecticut’s rigorous testing standards or contain appropriate warnings. Some are sold in dangerous and misleading packaging designed to appeal to children.”

The attorney general announced these alleged violations alongside Bryan Cafferelli, commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection (DCP). In each of the seven instances, they claimed a violation of the state’s Unfair Trade Practices Act, which carries fines of up to $5,000 per offense.

“Most of the products sold outside of our regulated market are untested and unsafe, especially if consumed by children,” Cafferelli said, adding that many of the products are sold to those under the legal adult-use cannabis age of 21. Cafferelli also recommended that those 21 and older who choose to purchase cannabis products should do so through a licensed retailer in the regulated marketplace.

Notably, DCP investigators “routinely” find unregulated cannabis products during unannounced visits to vape shops and gas stations, according to the release. These products often mimic “youth-oriented snack foods,” including chips and candy.

Since 2021, the Connecticut Poison Control Center has received roughly 400 calls regarding children ingesting cannabis products, nearly half of which include children under the age of 6 consuming edibles, according to the DCP.

The following four retailers are now being sued by the state:

• Greenleaf Farms in New London
• Smoker’s Corner in Norwich
• Anesthesia Convenience & Smoke in New Haven
• Planet Zaza in East Haven
  

Greenleaf Farms is a CBD retailer, while the other three companies are smoke shops. None of them have a license to sell cannabis products in Connecticut.  

The following three wholesalers are also being sued by the state:

• Shark Wholesale Corp. in Bridgeport
• Star Enterprise 74 LLC in New Britain
• RZ Smoke Inc. in Suffield
  

“These wholesalers each supply illicit cannabis products to retailers throughout Connecticut,” according to the attorney general’s office. “All three provide products packaged in a manner that deceives consumers into reasonably believing they are purchasing cannabis products from Connecticut’s legal, regulated market. In fact, each wholesaler offered highly potent products far in excess of allowable serving sizes and THC levels.”