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sSB231 / File No. 174 1
General Assembly File No. 174
February Session, 2026 Substitute Senate Bill No. 231
Senate, March 25, 2026
The Committee on General Law reported through SEN.
MARONEY of the 14th Dist., Chairperson of the Committee on
the part of the Senate, that the substitute bill ought to pass.
AN ACT CONCERNING THE DEPARTMENT OF CONSUMER
PROTECTION'S RECOMMENDATIONS REGARDING CANNABIS
REGULATION AND ELECTRONIC NICOTINE DELIVERY SYSTEM
DEALER REGISTRATION.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
Assembly convened:
Section 1. Section 21a-408w of the general statutes is repealed and the 1
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective from passage): 2
(a) Each cannabis establishment shall submit marijuana samples to a 3
cannabis testing laboratory for testing [as set forth in subsection (b) of 4
this section] in accordance with the laboratory testing standards 5
established in the policies and procedures issued, and final regulations 6
adopted, by the Commissioner of Consumer Protection pursuant to 7
section 21a-421j. 8
[(b) (1) A cannabis testing laboratory shall test each marijuana sample 9
submitted pursuant to subsection (a) of this section (A) for 10
microbiological contaminants, mycotoxins, heavy metals and pesticide 11
chemical residue, and (B) for purposes of conducting an active 12
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ingredient analysis, if applicable. 13
(2) Microbiological contaminant testing conducted pursuant to 14
subparagraph (A) of subdivision (1) of this subsection shall include, but 15
not be limited to, microbiological contaminant testing for Aspergillus 16
species as set forth by the Department of Consumer Protection and 17
posted on the department's Internet web site. 18
(c) When conducting microbiological testing as set forth in subsection 19
(b) of this section, the marijuana sample shall be tested by using (1) a 20
molecular method that (A) includes quantitative polymerase chain 21
reaction, (B) is certified for identifying microbiological DNA, and (C) is 22
approved by (i) the Association of Official Analytical Collaboration 23
International, or (ii) a comparable national or international standards 24
organization designated by the Commissioner of Consumer Protection, 25
or (2) an alternative testing method approved by the Department of 26
Consumer Protection and posted on the department's Internet web site.] 27
[(d)] (b) If a marijuana sample [does not pass ] fails the testing [set 28
forth in] required under subsection [(b)] (a) of this section, the cannabis 29
establishment that submitted [such] the failing marijuana sample to the 30
cannabis testing laboratory shall, not later than sixty days after the date 31
of such failed testing, either: 32
(1) Repeat the testing [as set forth in subsections ] required under 33
subsection (a) [and (b) ] of this section on the marijuana batch from 34
which such marijuana sample was taken, in a form and manner 35
approved by the Department of Consumer Protection. If all repeated 36
testing yields satisfactory results, the marijuana batch from which the 37
marijuana samples were taken shall be released for sale; or 38
(2) If such cannabis establishment submits to the Commissioner of 39
Consumer Protection a remediation plan that is sufficient to ensure 40
public health and safety, and the commissioner approves such 41
remediation plan, remediate the marijuana batch from which such 42
marijuana sample was taken and repeat all testing [as set forth in 43
subsections] required under subsection (a) [and (b)] of this section on 44
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such remediated marijuana batch, in a form and manner approved by 45
the Department of Consumer Protection. If all repeated testing yields 46
satisfactory results, the marijuana batch from which the marijuana 47
samples were taken shall be released for sale. [; or] 48
[(3)] (c) If [such] a cannabis establishment does not comply with 49
[subdivision (1) or (2) of this ] subsection (b) of this section , or if any 50
subsequent laboratory testing does not yield satisfactory results for the 51
testing [set forth in subsections] required under subsection (a) [and (b)] 52
of this section, the cannabis establishment shall dispose of the entire 53
marijuana batch from which the marijuana sample was taken in 54
accordance with procedures established by the Commissioner of 55
Consumer Protection, as published on the Department of Consumer 56
Protection's Internet web site. The cannabis establishment shall 57
complete such disposal not later than sixty days after the later of (1) the 58
date of the failed testing performed pursuant to subsection (a) of this 59
section, (2) the date of the failed repeated testing performed pursuant to 60
subsection (b) of this section, or (3) if no repeated testing is performed 61
pursuant to subsection (b) of this section, expiration of the sixty -day 62
period established in subsection (b) of this section for the performance 63
of such repeated testing. During such sixty -day period, the cannabis 64
establishment may submit a written request to the department, in a form 65
and manner prescribed by the commissioner, to extend such sixty -day 66
period. The commissioner may grant or deny such request in the 67
commissioner's discretion. 68
[(e)] (d) For purposes of the testing [set forth in subsections] required 69
under subsection (a) [and (b)] of this section, the quantity and number 70
of marijuana samples taken shall be sufficient to ensure representative 71
sampling of the corresponding marijuana batch size. 72
Sec. 2. Subsection (c) of section 21a-415 of the 2026 supplement to the 73
general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu 74
thereof (Effective from passage): 75
(c) (1) Any applicant for a dealer registration or a renewal of a dealer 76
registration shall apply to the Department of Consumer Protection, in a 77
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form and manner prescribed by the Commissioner of Consumer 78
Protection, which application shall include, at a minimum: 79
(A) The name, address and electronic mail address of the applicant; 80
(B) The location that is to be operated under such dealer registration; 81
(C) The name of, and contact information for, each individual who 82
has a direct or indirect financial interest in such applicant, unless (i) such 83
applicant is a publicly traded company listed on a national stock 84
exchange, or (ii) the financial interest held by such individual owner and 85
such individual's spouse, parents and children, in the aggregate, does 86
not exceed ten per cent of the total ownership or interest rights in such 87
applicant; 88
(D) A third-party local and national criminal background check for 89
each owner listed on such application, which background check shall (i) 90
be conducted by a third -party consumer reporting agency or 91
background screening company that is in compliance with the federal 92
Fair Credit Reporting Act and accredited by the Professional 93
Background Screening Association, (ii) include a multistate and 94
multijurisdiction criminal record locator or other similar commercial 95
nation-wide database with validation and such other background 96
screening as the commissioner may require, and (iii) be requested by 97
such applicant not more than sixty days prior to submission of such 98
application; 99
(E) The name of the individual who shall serve as the fiduciary agent 100
and guarantor for such applicant, which individual shall be personally 101
liable in the event of any noncompliance that results in a debt owed to 102
the department; 103
(F) A disclosure of any enforcement action against, and any 104
negotiated settlement entered into by, such applicant or any owner 105
disclosed pursuant to this subsection, which action or settlement is 106
related to the sale of cigarettes, electronic nicotine delivery systems, 107
tobacco products or vapor products; 108
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(G) The name of a manager or supervisor who is or will be physically 109
present at such applicant's location or proposed location; and 110
(H) A certification that an authorized owner or named designee of 111
such applicant has successfully completed the online prevention 112
education program administered by the Department of Mental Health 113
and Addiction Services pursuant to section 17a-719. 114
(2) The Department of Consumer Protection: (A) May require that an 115
applicant submit documents sufficient to establish that state and local 116
building, fire and zoning requirements will be met at the location of any 117
sale; (B) may, in the department's discretion, conduct an investigation to 118
determine whether a dealer registration shall be issued to an applicant; 119
and (C) shall not issue a dealer registration or a renewal of a dealer 120
registration to an applicant unless the applicant certifies that an 121
authorized owner or named designee of the applicant has successfully 122
completed the online prevention education program administered by 123
the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services pursuant to 124
section 17a-719. 125
(3) The commissioner shall issue a dealer registration or a renewal of 126
a dealer registration to any such applicant not later than thirty days after 127
the date of application unless the commissioner finds: (A) The applicant, 128
or any individual named in such application pursuant to subparagraph 129
(C) of subdivision (1) of this subsection, has made a materially false or 130
misleading statement in such application or in any other application 131
made to the commissioner; (B) the applicant has neglected to pay any 132
taxes due to this state; (C) the authorized owner or named designee of 133
the applicant has not successfully completed the online prevention 134
education program administered by the Department of Mental Health 135
and Addiction Services pursuant to section 17a-719; (D) the third-party 136
local and national criminal background check for any authorized owner 137
or named designee of the applicant [has a criminal history that is] 138
affords a sufficient basis for denial under section 46a -80; or (E) the 139
applicant, any authorized owner of the applicant or any entity owned 140
or managed by any individual named in the applicant's application 141
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pursuant to subparagraph (C) of subdivision (1) of this subsection (i) has 142
[violated] committed multiple violations of any other provision of this 143
section, (ii) is the subject of a delinquency assessment from the 144
Department of Revenue Services, or (iii) is the subject of any other 145
adverse administrative decision from a government agency. 146
(4) A dealer registration issued under this section shall be renewed 147
annually and may be suspended or revoked at the discretion of the 148
Department of Consumer Protection. A dealer registration shall not 149
constitute property, nor shall it be subject to attachment and execution, 150
nor shall it be alienable. Each holder of a dealer registration shall 151
annually attest in each renewal application as to whether such holder 152
derived at least fifty per cent of its annual gross revenue from sales of 153
cigarettes, drug paraphernalia, electronic nicotine delivery systems, 154
nicotine products, synthetic nicotine, tobacco products and vapor 155
products. 156
(5) The applicant shall pay to the department a nonrefundable 157
application fee of one thousand dollars, which fee shall be in addition to 158
the annual fee prescribed in subsection (d) of this section. An application 159
fee shall not be charged for an application to renew a dealer registration. 160
Sec. 3. Subdivision (1) of section 21a -420 of the 2026 supplement to 161
the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu 162
thereof (Effective from passage): 163
(1) "Responsible and Equitable Regulation of Adult -Use Cannabis 164
Act" or "RERACA" means this section, sections 2 -56j, 7-294kk, 7-294ll, 165
12-330ll to 12 -330nn, inclusive, 14 -227p, 21a -278b, 21a -278c, 21a -279c, 166
21a-279d, 21a -408w, as amended by this act , 21a -420a to 21a -420j, 167
inclusive, 21a -420l to 21a -421u, inclusive, 21a -421aa to 21a -421ff, 168
inclusive, 21a -421aaa to 21a -421iii, inclusive, 21a -422 to 21a -422c, 169
inclusive, 21a-422e to 21a-422g, inclusive, 21a-422j to 21a-422s, inclusive, 170
21a-422u, 22-61n, 23-4b, 47a-9a, 53-247a, 53a-213a, 53a-213b, 54-33p, 54-171
56q, 54-56r, 54-125k and 54-142u, sections 23, 60, 63 to 65, inclusive, 124, 172
144 and 165 of public act 21 -1 of the June special session, and the 173
amendments in public act 21-1 of the June special session to sections 7 -174
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148, 10-221, 12-30a, 12-35b, 12-412, 12-650, 12-704d, 14-44k, 14-111e, 14-175
227a to 14 -227c, inclusive, 14 -227j, 15 -140q, 15 -140r, 18 -100h, 19a -342, 176
19a-342a, 21a -267, 21a -277, 21a -279, 21a -279a, 21a -408 to 21a -408f, 177
inclusive, 21a -408h to 21a -408p, inclusive, 21a -408r to 21a -408v, 178
inclusive, 30-89a, 31-40q, 32-39, 46b-120, 51-164n, 53-394, 53a-39c, 54-1m, 179
54-33g, 54-41b, 54-56e, 54-56g, 54-56i, 54-56k, 54-56n, 54-63d, 54-66a and 180
54-142e, [and] section 22 of public act 25-101 and section 4 of this act; 181
Sec. 4. (NEW) (Effective from passage) (a) Each cannabis establishment 182
shall submit cannabis samples to a cannabis testing laboratory for 183
testing in accordance with the laboratory testing standards established 184
in the policies and procedures issued, and final regulations adopted, by 185
the commissioner pursuant to section 21a-421j of the general statutes. 186
(b) If a cannabis sample fails the testing required under subsection (a) 187
of this section, the cannabis establishment that submitted the failing 188
cannabis sample to the cannabis testing laboratory shall, not later than 189
sixty days after the date of such failed testing, either: 190
(1) Repeat the testing required under subsection (a) of this section on 191
the cannabis batch from which such cannabis sample was taken, in a 192
form and manner approved by the department. If all repeated testing 193
yields satisfactory results, the cannabis batch from which the cannabis 194
samples were taken shall be released for sale; or 195
(2) If such cannabis establishment submits to the commissioner a 196
remediation plan that is sufficient to ensure public health and safety, 197
and the commissioner approves such remediation plan, remediate the 198
cannabis batch from which such cannabis sample was taken and repeat 199
all testing required under subsection (a) of this section on such 200
remediated cannabis batch, in a form and manner approved by the 201
department. If all repeated testing yields satisfactory results, the 202
cannabis batch from which the cannabis samples were taken shall be 203
released for sale. 204
(c) If a cannabis establishment does not comply with subsection (b) of 205
this section, or if any subsequent laboratory testing does not yield 206
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satisfactory results for the testing required under subsection (a) of this 207
section, the cannabis establishment shall dispose of the entire cannabis 208
batch from which the cannabis sample was taken in accordance with 209
procedures established by the commissioner, as published on the 210
department's Internet web site. The cannabis establishment shall 211
complete such disposal not later than sixty days after the later of (1) the 212
date of the failed testing performed pursuant to subsection (a) of this 213
section, (2) the date of the failed repeated testing performed pursuant to 214
subsection (b) of this section, or (3) if no repeated testing is performed 215
pursuant to subsection (b) of this section, expiration of the sixty -day 216
period established in subsection (b) of this section for the performance 217
of such repeated testing. During such sixty -day period, the cannabis 218
establishment may submit a written request to the department, in a form 219
and manner prescribed by the commissioner, to extend such sixty -day 220
period. The commissioner may grant or deny such request in the 221
commissioner's discretion. 222
(d) For purposes of the testing required under subsection (a) of this 223
section, the quantity and number of cannabis samples taken shall be 224
sufficient to ensure representative sampling of the corresponding 225
cannabis batch size. 226
This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following
sections:
Section 1 from passage 21a-408w
Sec. 2 from passage 21a-415(c)
Sec. 3 from passage 21a-420(1)
Sec. 4 from passage New section
GL Joint Favorable Subst.
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The following Fiscal Impact Statement and Bill Analysis are prepared for the benefit of the members of
the General Assembly, solely for purposes of information, summarization and explanation and do not
represent the intent of the General Assembly or either chamber thereof for any purpose. In general,
fiscal impacts are based upon a variety of informational sources, including the analyst’s professional
knowledge. Whenever applicable, agency data is consulted as part of the analysis, however final
products do not necessarily reflect an assessment from any specific department.
OFA Fiscal Note
State Impact: None
Municipal Impact: None
Explanation
The bill makes various changes regarding cannabis testing and adds
to the grounds for the Department of Consumer Protection to deny an
electronic nicotine delivery system dealer registration resulting in no
fiscal impact to the state.
The Out Years
State Impact: None
Municipal Impact: None
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OLR Bill Analysis
sSB 231
AN ACT CONCERNING THE DEPARTMENT OF CONSUMER
PROTECTION'S RECOMMENDATIONS REGARDING CANNABIS
REGULATION AND ELECTRONIC NICOTINE DELIVERY SYSTEM
DEALER REGISTRATION.
SUMMARY
This bill generally sets a 60 -day deadline to dispose of medical
marijuana and cannabis samples that fail testing. It also requires each
cannabis establishment (see BACKGROUND) to submit cannabis or
medical marijuana to a cannabis testing laboratory for te sting based on
standards set in the Department of Consumer Protection’s (DCP)
policies and procedures or regulations. Current policies and procedures
have substantially similar requirements as under current law (for
example, microbiological contaminant tes ting, mycotoxins, heavy
metals, and pesticide chemical residue).
The bill also (1) adds to the grounds for which DCP may deny an e -
cigarette dealer registration, including when a background check
associated with the application (not just the applicant) reveals a
sufficient reason for denial based on conviction informati on, and (2)
specifies that the same grounds apply to denials of renewals.
It also makes various minor and technical changes.
EFFECTIVE DATE: Upon passage
FAILED TEST DEADLINES
Existing law requires each cannabis establishment to submit
marijuana (cannabis) samples to a cannabis testing laboratory for
testing. For samples that fail, cannabis establishments may repeat the
test, remediate the sample and then retest, or dispose the batch.
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The bill requires the cannabis establishment to choose one of these
options within 60 days after the failed test. For disposals, the bill
requires the establishment to complete them within 60 days of the failed
test or failed repeat test, whichever is later . During the 60-day period,
the cannabis establishment may submit a written request to DCP, in a
commissioner-prescribed way , to extend the 60 -day period. The
commissioner may grant or deny the request in his discretion.
E-CIGARETTE DEALER DENIALS
Existing law generally requires the DCP commissioner to issue an e -
cigarette dealer registration within 30 days of application unless the
commissioner finds certain issues with the applicant. The bill extends
this time requirement and grounds for denial to renewals and adds to
the reasons for denial by including instances where:
1. any individual named on the application (people with certain
financial interests in it) made a materially false or misleading
statement on the application, rather than just the applicant;
2. the third-party local and national criminal background check for
any authorized owner or applicant’s named designee provides a
sufficient reason to deny under the state laws for denying
employment based on conviction information, rather than just
when the applicant has such a criminal history;
3. the applicant, any authorized owner, or entity owned or
managed by anyone named on the application has committed
multiple violations of the e -cigarette dealer law, rather than just
when the applicant has committed one violation; and
4. the applicant or such an owner or entity is the subject of (a) a
Department of Revenue Service delinquency assessment or (b)
any other adverse administrative decision from a government
agency.
Existing law sets several other grounds for which DCP may refuse to
grant or renew a dealer registration, such as fraudulent or deceitful
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practices or failure to maintain effective controls against theft, diversion,
or loss.
BACKGROUND
Cannabis Establishment
A “cannabis establishment” is a cannabis producer, dispensary
facility, cultivator, micro -cultivator, retailer, hybrid retailer (one
licensed to sell both recreational cannabis and medical marijuana), food
and beverage manufacturer, product manufacturer or packager,
delivery service, or transporter.
Related Bill
sHB 5228, favorably reported by the General Law Committee, adds
to the grounds for which DCP may deny an initial or renewal e-cigarette
dealer registration, to include when the applicant (1) exceed s certain
limitations on annual gross revenue and the use of retail sales area, or
(2) for renewals only, is located in a municipality that already includes
one dealer for every 2,500 residents.
COMMITTEE ACTION
General Law Committee
Joint Favorable Substitute
Yea 20 Nay 0 (03/11/2026)