A Description of One of Connecticut\’s Cannabis Growing Labs

In a reconstructed warehouse, on a cold and gray winter day, cannabis plants are growing tall, some as tall as Christmas trees. They are thickly flowering. They have grown under a bright, yellow light,and are produced in one of the state of Connecticut\’s four licensed medical cannabis producers.

Connecticut is also waiting to enter the much larger recreational cannabis market. The leaves and flowers of cannabis plants which are glistening under the light in this cannabis growing laboratory exhibit a light frost, which is a sign that the plants are almost mature. The glistening, whitish substance is really a sticky resin which contains the active elements of cannabis, CBD and THC, among other cannabinoids. Just to back track to the 1960\’s, the cannabis which was smoked by baby boomers in college contained probably from three to four percent THC, while one of the strains, or cultivars, grown in this particular facility has more than 30% THC, and is sold on the street as Lemon Skunk. Its trade name is Lexikan, and its flowers command a high price. A vital with one eighth of an ounce, about 3.5 grams, of the dried and trimmed flowers are sold in a Hartford, CT, medical cannabis dispensary, which is one of 18, statewide. The plants, which are close to maturity, should each produce one and one half pounds of flower buds.

Under state law, third party laboratory testing is required, as well as labels which list the exact levels of CBD, THC and terpenes, as well as other substances. This labelling is required in every cannabis product, sold by Connecticut\’s four cannabis producers.