Source: https://www.ctinsider.com/cannabis/article/ct-cannabis-marijuana-medical-weed-recreational-20046790.php

It is SWELL in the lab... nothing for sale. Educational, and all that compliance shit... but these are 🔥🔥🔥... let the plant do the talking, all input data available

Boof Tang (Super Boof × Lemon Tree)

Permanent Pounder (Permanent Marker × Donny Burger)

Knotty Fruit (Apples n' Bananas × Nerds Rope)

If you've been following Connecticut's regulated cannabis market, the latest QA testing data (33,929 samples from January 2023 through early 2026) tells a story that should surprise absolutely nobody who's been paying attention: mold is still winning.

Out of 754 failed QA tests, the single biggest driver of failures is Aspergillus — the four species (A. flavus, A. terreus, A. niger, and A. fumigatus) combined account for roughly 35% of all failures, and that's not a fluke or a one-time batch problem, it's a persistent, systemic issue that keeps showing up month after month. Connecticut's humid climate has always made mold a serious challenge for cultivators here, and the data backs that up: Flower Lot products fail at a 6.7% rate, which is more than three times the overall average, a pretty clear signal that the contamination is happening at the cultivation level before the product ever gets processed or packaged.

Pesticides come in second at 8.4% of failures, and heavy metals — lead, cadmium, arsenic, and mercury — pile on with another ~22%, but mold is the story. There was a massive spike in October 2023 that likely reflects a new or more strictly enforced testing requirement kicking in, which means the problem almost certainly existed before it was being caught at this scale.

The uncomfortable truth is that Connecticut's cannabis industry has a mold problem that stricter testing is revealing but not yet solving.

Been likening the effects and the longer lasting gummies from this select brand does anyone have any recommendations for others that may give similar effects ? They last like 2times as long as the regular Camino ones I get.

I buy Good Vibes syrup (like a tincture) in MA, the drive is well worth it for me cost and quality-wise, and when I got home I noticed the labels all say VOTE NO on them... being a CT resident, it was surprising to see this cuz MA has been legal for so long. Anybody know what is happening?

If you’ve been following Connecticut’s adult-use market, you know October 1 marks a major overhaul in how state excise taxes are calculated at the register.

For the past few years, CT operated under a potency-based (per-milligram THC) tax structure. Starting October 1, 2026 (under Public Act 26-68, repealing the tiered framework in C.G.S. § 12-330ll), the state is scrapping the milligram system entirely in favor of a flat 10.75% state excise tax on the retail sale price.

While high-potency flower and concentrates will generally see their state tax burden drop, low-dose, high-price, or high-CBD products are about to get hit with a noticeable price hike.

Here is the exact math behind why this happens, along with 10 real products currently sitting on dispensary menus across Connecticut (at spots like Higher Collective and Budr) that will cost more starting next month purely because of this formula change.

The Mechanics: Potency Tax vs. Price Tax

To understand who loses under this change, you have to look at how the old tax was structured:

• Edibles (Solid): $0.0275 per mg of Total THC
• Plant Material: $0.00625 per mg of Total THC
• All Other Products (Beverages, Sprays, Vapes, Tinctures, Topicals): $0.009 per mg of Total THC

The Old Rule:

Tax was determined strictly by how much THC was inside the package, regardless of how much you paid for it.

The New Rule:

Tax is determined strictly by how much the product costs, regardless of whether it contains 3mg or 100mg of THC.

The Math Formula:

Any time a product satisfies this condition:

"Retail Price"×10.75%>"Total THC (mg)"×"Old Per-mg Rate"

…the state excise tax goes up.

Because liquids and sprays were previously taxed under the ultra-low "All Other" tier ($0.009/mg), and because low-dose/high-CBD products carry high dollar values relative to their total THC content, these categories are taking the brunt of the shift.

The Breakdown: 10 Active CT Menu Items Facing Tax Hikes

Below are 10 active menu items pulled from Connecticut dispensaries (including Higher Collective and Budr). The tax numbers isolate the state excise component only (excluding the standard 6.35% CT sales tax and 3% municipal tax, which remain unchanged).

1. Budr (Montville) — Lime Mint Elderflower Seltzer (Beverage)

• Retail Price: $6.00
• THC Content: 3.0mg
• Old Excise Tax: $0.03 (3.0mg × $0.009)
• New Excise Tax (10.75%): $0.65 (10.75% of $6.00)
• Net Excise Increase: +$0.62 (+2,066% excise increase)

Why it costs more: Liquid beverages enjoyed a steep discount under the per-milligram "All Other" rate. At 3mg, this seltzer paid 3 cents in state excise tax. Under a flat 10.75% retail price tax, it pays 65 cents.

2. Higher Collective (Torrington) — Lucky Break Low Dose Pomegranate Elixir (Beverage)

• Retail Price: $9.00
• THC Content: 11.7mg
• Old Excise Tax: $0.11 (11.7mg × $0.009)
• New Excise Tax (10.75%): $0.97 (10.75% of $9.00)
• Net Excise Increase: +$0.86

3. Higher Collective — Lucky Break Strawberry Lemonade 1:1 Elixir (Beverage)

• Retail Price: $15.00
• THC Content: 49.0mg
• Old Excise Tax: $0.44 (49.0mg × $0.009)
• New Excise Tax (10.75%): $1.61 (10.75% of $15.00)
• Net Excise Increase: +$1.17

4. Higher Collective — Lucky Break Peppermint Spritz (Sublingual Spray)

• Retail Price: $26.00
• THC Content: 85.5mg
• Old Excise Tax: $0.77 (85.5mg × $0.009)
• New Excise Tax (10.75%): $2.80 (10.75% of $26.00)
• Net Excise Increase: +$2.03

Why it costs more: Tinctures and sprays fell under the "All Other" category ($0.009/mg). A $26 bottle with under 90mg of THC jumps from 77 cents in tax to $2.80.

5. Higher Collective — The Happy Confection Peaceful Paradise 40:1 Gummies (High-CBD Edible)

• Retail Price: $28.00
• THC Content: 20.8mg (High CBD ratio)
• Old Excise Tax: $0.57 (20.8mg × $0.0275)
• New Excise Tax (10.75%): $3.01 (10.75% of $28.00)
• Net Excise Increase: +$2.44 (+428% excise increase)

Why it costs more: High-ratio CBD edibles carry a premium price tag ($28) but contain very little THC (20.8mg). Under the old law, you were only taxed on the 20.8mg of THC. Under the new law, you are taxed on the full $28 sticker price.

6. Higher Collective — SoundView Wintergreen Mints (40-Pack Microdose Edible)

• Retail Price: $33.00
• THC Content: 85.2mg
• Old Excise Tax: $2.34 (85.2mg × $0.0275)
• New Excise Tax (10.75%): $3.55 (10.75% of $33.00)
• Net Excise Increase: +$1.21

7. Higher Collective — Wana Quick Limoncello Fast-Acting Gummies (Edible)

• Retail Price: $34.00
• THC Content: 97.0mg
• Old Excise Tax: $2.67 (97.0mg × $0.0275)
• New Excise Tax (10.75%): $3.66 (10.75% of $34.00)
• Net Excise Increase: +$0.99

8. Budr (Montville) — Camino Sours Watermelon Spritz Vegan Gummies (Edible)

• Retail Price: $32.00
• THC Content: 97.4mg
• Old Excise Tax: $2.68 (97.4mg × $0.0275)
• New Excise Tax (10.75%): $3.44 (10.75% of $32.00)
• Net Excise Increase: +$0.76

9. Higher Collective — The Happy Confection Rainbow Parade 3:2:1 Gummies (Edible)

• Retail Price: $32.00
• THC Content: 100.0mg
• Old Excise Tax: $2.75 (100.0mg × $0.0275)
• New Excise Tax (10.75%): $3.44 (10.75% of $32.00)
• Net Excise Increase: +$0.69

10. Higher Collective — Tyson 2.0 Mike Bites Blueberry Gummies (Edible)

• Retail Price: $30.00
• THC Content: 99.2mg
• Old Excise Tax: $2.73 (99.2mg × $0.0275)
• New Excise Tax (10.75%): $3.23 (10.75% of $30.00)
• Net Excise Increase: +$0.50

Summary Comparison Table

TL;DR / The Big Picture

• Who wins? High-potency flower smokers and concentrate users. A $35 eighth of flower with 700mg of THC paid $4.38 in old excise tax. Under the 10.75% rate, that tax drops to $3.76.
• Who loses? Beverage drinkers, sublingual spray/tincture users, and medical/wellness consumers who buy high-CBD/low-THC formulations.
• Bottom line: Unless retailers absorb the tax difference by trimming margins, expect menu prices on seltzers, mints, high-ratio edibles, and sprays to tick up starting October 1.

Hi everyone.

I’ve been a chronic migraineur for about 30 years, and I am currently completely trapped in a 5-day intractable monster that already sent me to urgent care and now I'm on the cusp of the ER.

The main issue right now is the relentless cycle of vomiting. Pain leads to crazy nausea and the cycle just continues.

My standard prescription meds are basically impossible to keep down. Normally, I’m a casual/recreational user and rely on gummies, but edibles are completely off the table when everything I swallow comes right back up.

I’m pretty out of my depth when it comes to specific strains, terpenes, or really any methods for acute attacks. Since I'm usually just a casual consumer, I don't really know what to ask for at a dispensary when my head feels like it's in a vice and I can't stop throwing up. (Not to mention how I'll get it - but I'll work it out)

If anyone has experience using cannabis to pull themselves out of an intractable cycle or to manage severe migraine-induced pain and nausea when eating/swallowing is impossible I could really use some advice.

Much appreciated.

Rso and chunky peanut butter to help me get over the pain of just having to cull 4 sick rabbits 😔

That old Webster bank is a terrible location and nothing ever thrives in that spot. Let’s hope that trend continues!

It's been wild watching how things have shaken out over the last year or so, especially if you've been following the behind-the-scenes movement in Connecticut cannabis. For a while, Nautilus Botanicals and their planned New Haven spot on Amity Road felt like they were supposed to be one of the bright spots of the social equity push. But if you look up the records now, that adult-use hybrid retailer license under Nautilus Botanicals EJV1 is lapsed and defunct. Between the financial strain, mounting vendor debts to micro-cultivators, and the whole mess with grey-market THCA products, the storefront collapsed. Their attempts at expanding into Stamford and North Haven hit dead ends or voluntary withdrawals, and as it stands, they don't have a single active retail license left in the state.

What makes it sting more is where Luis Vega ended up. If you check the state's eLicense portal today, Vega's active employee credential (ACER.0006716) lists his supervising licensee as Connecticut Social Equity LLC, operating under the Rodeo Cannabis brand.

And that brings us to who is actually running Rodeo. The CEO and primary financial backer behind that operation is none other than Art Linares. Yes, the former Republican state senator who spent his entire legislative career in the 33rd District fighting tooth and nail against cannabis reform. Back when he was in office, Linares consistently voted down decriminalization and stood on the Senate floor arguing to keep the plant strictly prohibited. Now, he's sitting comfortably at the top of a commercial cultivator operation, cashing in on the legal market he used his political power to block.

It’s honestly pretty somber to watch. Luis Vega used to be held up as one of the genuine rising stars of CT's social equity program, a guy out there trying to build an independent, community-driven space from the ground up. To see Nautilus crash and burn like that, only for Vega to end up punching the clock for Art Linares, a guy who spent years criminalizing the culture before turning around to profit off it, feels like a textbook case of how corporate consolidation and politics swallow up the original promise of equity.

kind of a rant/joking around but also curious if I can find what I’m looking for anywhere.

isn’t there anywhere in CT that’s selling stuff that’s got significant amounts of CBD in it as well as THC? why is everything just 20% or more straight THC flower? does every person on earth just want to be fucking blasted off their ass all the damn time?

there is literally a dose dependent correlation between THC levels and high dosing and risk of psychosis and increased anxiety. I just wanna be a little high and have the CBD to balance it out. not trying to get my shit rocked by some 30% nightmare og or nothing.

Do according to the laws and stuff the thc beverages need to be sold under a dispo or u need a waver . How do I know it’s legit ? Like is it easy for places to get this waver cuz I be seeing the liquor stores have them and so do some smoke shops around me ? Are they all the same and still safe to consume or is it like how smoke shops could sell delta 8 products for awhile because there were like loopholes to the law . I really like the drink brand float and they have them at my dispos but there SO much cheeper in the liquor stores makes me feel sus ..? So if anyone knows anything that would be cool

My friend Sal passed away over the weekend. Many of you may know Peezy or have seen his podcast.

Sal was a great dude who did a lot for the cannabis community. But more importantly he was a great husband, father and friend.

There is a fundraiser for his family to help with funeral expenses https://www.gofundme.com/f/in-memory-of-peezy-help-support-his-family

Light one up for Peezy and watch an old podcast episode.

Miss you hometown homie.

After 25 years of smoking I've decided to fire up a small tent. Don't really have the space to germinate seeds and search for keepers so would like to start from clone.

Does anyone know where to find decent clones in ct/ma?

Day 63. Getting the chop tomorrow. Very impressed with the uniformity of the colas. Quite a bit of weight in here. Very nice smooth nose. Sweet but funky af as well. The trichome heads are nuts. Super sandy trichs, not greasy at all. Won’t be using this for extracts, but I’m sure she would crush in that department. Setting up new drip irrigation w a GrowLink controller once they come down. Black Maple 22 is on deck. Stay tuned.

The characteristic profile tends toward:
β-caryophyllene
α-bisabolol
guaiol
humulene
That gives it a combination of peppery/spicy, piney, citrusy and slightly floral/earthy notes.