SB 970 Quietly Redefines Cannabis. Who Benefits?

HARTFORD, CT — As Connecticut lawmakers daw nearer to passing Senate Bill 970, a dense and confusing piece of legislation that rewrites how the state defines marijuana, hemp, and cannabinoids.

While it’s marketed as a regulatory update, many in the cannabis and hemp community are calling it what it is: a strategic reshaping of the market that raises more questions than it answers.

The bill introduces new categories like “low-THC hemp,” “manufacturer hemp,” and “high-THC hemp” — terms not found in federal law. Even more perplexing: products with high levels of THC are no longer considered marijuana if they’re made by a state-licensed manufacturer.

Let that sink in. Under SB 970:

• A product with more than 0.3% THC is considered illegal marijuana for the average person or business.
• But that same product, if made by a licensed manufacturer, is magically labeled “high-THC hemp” — and is perfectly legal to sell in Connecticut.

In effect, this bill redefines substances not based on their chemical makeup, but on who produces them.

This raises serious concerns about fairness, transparency, and public health. Why should two identical THC products be treated differently under the law, simply because one comes from a licensed hemp manufacturer and the other from a small-scale grower or entrepreneur?

To be clear, this bill doesn’t just regulate — it reclassifies.

It creates a double standard:

• Independent producers are still required to destroy any hemp that tests over 0.3% THC.
• But licensed hemp manufacturers can produce and sell high-THC products, market them to dispensaries, and operate outside of the cannabis licensing system — all while calling it “hemp.”

The result? A confusing, two-tiered system where legality isn’t determined by THC levels, but by regulatory privilege.

This bill does not clarify cannabis laws — it muddies them. It does not protect consumers — it protects certain market actors. And it does not close loopholes — it builds new ones.

Even the term “high-THC hemp” is an oxymoron. By definition, hemp is supposed to be low in THC. But under SB 970, Connecticut is carving out a new legal space where high-THC products are allowed — if, and only if, they carry the right license and label.

This raises an important question: Is the state legalizing cannabis through the back door for a select group of manufacturers, while keeping strict limitations on everyone else?

Whether you’re a patient, grower, consumer, or advocate, you should be asking: Who is this bill really for? And why the secrecy?

SB 970 is a regulatory shell game. It blurs legal definitions, favors licensed insiders, and risks undermining the transparent, equitable cannabis policy Connecticut claims to be building.