Every Can of THC Seltzer Sold in Connecticut Funds Enforcement, Not Patients

CT CannaTimes — Special Report - 11.22.2025

When most Connecticut consumers pick up a can of THC seltzer, they assume they’re supporting a legal industry, small businesses, or the state’s cannabis program. But every single can sold in the state — every individual beverage — sends $1 straight into the Connecticut Cannabis Enforcement Account.

This isn’t speculation. This isn’t rumor. This is written into law.

Under Public Act 25-166 (formerly HB-7181), signed by Gov. Lamont and taking effect October 1, 2025, Connecticut created one of the most aggressive enforcement-funding structures in the U.S. cannabis industry.

And THC seltzers are right at the center of it.

The Law: $1 Fee Per Can → Directly Into Enforcement Funding

Section 37 of Public Act 25-166 established a $1 wholesale fee on every individual container of cannabis-infused beverages — including THC seltzers.

This means:

• 1 can sold = $1 directly to enforcement
• A 4-pack = $4 directly to enforcement
• A case = every can multiplied by $1

This fee is paid by the product manufacturer/wholesaler, but it is baked into the cost of every can that retailers purchase and consumers ultimately buy. In other words: if you bought it, you funded it.

Where Does the Money Go? Straight Into the Cannabis Enforcement Account

This $1 fee is deposited into Connecticut’s Consumer Protection Enforcement Account (CPEA) — a dedicated pool of money that funds the following:

• Cannabis raids
• Civil penalties
• Compliance investigations
• License enforcement
• Crackdowns on “unlicensed activity”
• Inspections, storage/transport enforcement, and undercover enforcement actions

None of this money goes to:

• equity programs
• community reinvestment
• patient support
• expungement
• medical protections
• harm reduction
• small business assistance

THC seltzer purchases are one of the direct revenue streams feeding the machinery that punishes everyday residents, especially low-income consumers.

This is why CT CannaTimes takes issue with public or private figures who promote these beverage companies without understanding how the system works.

Why This Is Especially Concerning With Brands Like Hi People

Hi People is widely promoted in Connecticut’s cannabis scene as a “fun,” “light,” or “UI friendly” THC beverage.

What is almost never mentioned is the financial mechanism behind the product.

Every can of Hi People sold sends $1 into the state enforcement fund. Every 4-pack sends $4. Every event cooler filled with the product is hundreds of dollars in enforcement fees.

This means:

THC seltzer companies inadvertently provide one of the largest dedicated revenue streams for state cannabis enforcement.

Rather than supporting patient rights, community repair, medical affordability, or harm reduction, these purchases strengthen the budgets of the very agencies that:

• penalize patients for storage
• target small-scale “unlicensed” activity
• conduct undercover operations
• issue civil fines to regular people
• enforce corporate-favored regulations

This is why CT CannaTimes calls attention to this issue — not to attack companies, but to expose how the law was structured.

Was This Hidden? Not Exactly — But It Wasn’t Advertised

HB-7181 was passed in June 2025 and signed into law July 1, 2025. The relevant sections went into effect October 1, 2025.

The fee was inserted into an omnibus bill covering tobacco, hemp, storage rules, and liquor. It was public, but not publicized.

No state official told consumers:

“Buying THC beverages directly funds cannabis enforcement.”

No producer advertises:

“$1 of this can goes to the enforcement account.”

No dispensary explains: “Our wholesale purchases of these beverages fund DCP enforcement capacity.”

Consumers had to find out through the bill text.

Now the public knows.

Why We Report This

CT CannaTimes doesn’t oppose beverage companies for existing. We oppose the policy structure that makes consumers unwitting financial contributors to enforcement systems that often harm the same communities cannabis legalization was supposed to protect.

Whether people choose to continue purchasing THC seltzers is up to them — but they deserve the truth first.

If You Are a THC Beverage Producer or Lounge Operator, We Welcome Your Input

If any infused beverage company — including Hi People — wishes to submit an op-ed explaining:

• how they view this fee
• whether they support reform
• what role they believe they play in the community

CT CannaTimes will publish it fairly and unedited.

Our goal is transparency, not hostility.