Oregon Proved It: Connecticut Needs Real Competition in Cannabis

By CT CannaTimes Staff - 9.28.2025

Oregon’s Early Experiment: Open Doors, Then Guardrails

Oregon’s cannabis market started with broad entry. Licenses were widely available, and the number of producers skyrocketed. Oversupply quickly followed, prompting the state to introduce moratoria in 2019 and 2022. Today, new licenses are tied to per-capita thresholds — but the key lesson remains: Oregon let the market grow fast, and then let competition sort itself out.

https://www.oregon.gov/olcc/Docs/reports/2023_HB4016_Moratorium_LegislativeReport.pdf

https://secure.sos.state.or.us/oard/displayDivisionRules.action?selectedDivision=3873

https://www.oregon.gov/olcc/Docs/Rules/2024-MJ-EFF010125.pdf

The Oversupply and the Price Crash

In 2024, Oregon growers harvested roughly 12.3 million pounds of cannabis — far more than consumers could buy. Retail prices fell to record lows, with grams averaging $3.75 and dipping to $3.51 in December 2024. For nearly two years, flower prices have stayed under $4 per gram.

Sources:

https://mjbizdaily.com/oregons-marijuana-glut-leads-to-lowest-prices-ever/

https://oregonbusiness.com/olcc-weed-supply-hits-record-high/

https://www.oregon.gov/olcc/Docs/Legislative/2025-Legislative-Overview-Cannabis.pdf

Natural Selection: Winners and Losers

As prices plunged, not every business survived. Inefficient operators closed or consolidated. Stronger, more efficient growers adapted and remained. This is how real markets work: the best producers thrive, and the weakest leave.

Sources:

https://www.opb.org/article/2024/01/15/oregon-cannabis-industry-oversaturation-new-restrictions/

https://www.kgw.com/article/news/local/portland-marijuana-dispensaries-crime-oversaturated-market/283-74b95ffd-f289-44ea-8952-f73355950861

https://www.axios.com/newsletters/axios-portland-1d7ae6b0-e266-11ef-a401-198dda839010

What Oregon Consumers Actually Paid

Oregon’s experiment delivered a clear consumer benefit: affordable prices. By late 2024, average grams cost around $3.50–$3.80. The state’s own reports confirm this range, making Oregon one of the cheapest cannabis markets in the U.S.

Sources:

https://oregonbusiness.com/olcc-weed-supply-hits-record-high/

https://mjbizdaily.com/oregons-marijuana-glut-leads-to-lowest-prices-ever/ https://www.oregon.gov/olcc/Docs/Legislative/2025-Legislative-Overview-Cannabis.pdf

Connecticut’s Reality: High Prices, Few Choices

Connecticut’s cannabis market is the opposite. Prices hover around $9–$10 per gram — more than double Oregon’s — with $9.98 in May 2025 and $9.46 in June 2025. The state only has five producers, lotteries for limited licenses, and restrictive zoning that keeps out competition. Consumers pay the price for these barriers.

Sources:

https://data.ct.gov/Health-and-Human-Services/Cannabis-Average-Price-Per-Gram/ttwq-xhyz

https://insideinvestigator.org/ct-recreational-cannabis-retail-sales-set-new-high/

https://apnews.com/article/2458b79304aebde97d7d7f014dcf615e

https://portal.ct.gov/cannabis/Knowledge-Base/Categories/Licensing-and-Business-Information/Licensing—Lotteries-and-Application-Information

https://portal.ct.gov/cannabis/knowledge-base/articles/licensing/licensing-retailer

https://www.ctinsider.com/cannabis/article/ct-cannabis-real-estate-fine-fettle-insa-20040228.php

https://ctmirror.org/2025/08/06/marijuana-more-expensive-ct-ma/

The Path Forward for Connecticut

The evidence is clear. Oregon shows that open competition lowers prices and weeds out weak operators naturally. Connecticut’s system of caps, lotteries, and bottlenecks guarantees high costs and low consumer choice.

If Connecticut wants affordable cannabis and true equity, the solution is simple:

• Lower barriers to entry.
• Expand cultivation and retail licensing.
• Remove zoning and lottery bottlenecks.
• Let free market competition decide who survives.

The market will self-correct. Consumers will pay less. The best growers and entrepreneurs will thrive. Connecticut needs to stop protecting monopolies and start trusting competition.