Tips for Completing Your CT Cannabis License Application

On February 3, 2022 the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection (DCP) released its first set of cannabis license applications which is the first step for licensee hopefuls who wish to participate in the state lottery for recreational adult use retail facilities and for those interested in applying under Section 149 of the statute. The applications can be found on the DCP’s eLicense page. In our review of those applications we have listed a few quick tips for those of you interested in completing an application.

1. Create your eLicense accounts in advance. It can take a day or two to authenticate your accounts at https://www.elicense.ct.gov/https://www.elicense.ct.gov/ and you do not want to lose valuable time waiting for verification e-mails.  Your business and each backer (i.e. 5% owner) will require separate accounts, and only business accounts can apply for an adult-use cannabis license.
2. Have your backers complete their backer license applications. You will need to link your business’s application to their backer applications and your business’s license application will not be considered complete until the backers all submit their individual applications.
3. Create filler sheets. You may not have certain documents to upload which are required to progress in the application.  If you do not have a response to those uploads (and will not have any responses before your application is complete because it does not apply, for example, if you do not have any MBE/WBE certifications), then you should create a document listing the question number and indicating that it is “N/A”; or, if you will have a response but simply aren’t prepared to upload it yet, you should create a placeholder document you can upload so that the eLicense system will allow you to continue—but be sure to replace it before finalizing your application!
4. Start collecting third-party documentation. Some of the documentation you cannot prepare on your own, for example, resumes for all owners, officers, and key personnel showing places of employment and corresponding dates as well as 3 years of federal tax returns for each person owning 5% or more of the business.
5. Open your bank account. All applicants will need to submit banking authorization and signatory cards, which can take several days to obtain depending on your bank.  Some banks may not allow you to open an account related to adult-use cannabis due to federal banking laws, so you might need to shop around for a banking institution.
6. Order certified copies of your formation documents.  These can sometimes take a few days to obtain from your applicable jurisdiction and could cost significantly more if you need to order them expedited.  You will also need a certificate of good standing, but in Connecticut these are easy to order online if you are up to date on all of your annual reports.  Other jurisdictions might take a few days to obtain a certificate of good standing (sometimes called a certificate of legal existence), though, so you should give yourself additional time to obtain these.

For more information, contact a member of Pullman & Comley’s Cannabis, CBD and Hemp practice.