Connecticut’s only medical marijuana dispensary may close

Connecticut’s last medical-only cannabis dispensary must relocate amid a possible shift to a hybrid model in a new town.

Bluepoint Wellness’s move within town comes after repeated denials from Westport’s Planning and Zoning Commission to allow recreational cannabis sales, according to CT Insider.

But unless the zoning code is updated, Bluepoint’s move could mean mean Connecticut will no longer have a medical-only cannabis dispensary.

Opened in late 2019, Bluepoint has not been permitted to expand into recreational sales due to local rules, setting it apart from other marijuana stores in the state that have shifted to hybrid sales.

The state has 61 licensed stores, with 29 of them selling both medical and recreational products.

In 2021, after the legalization of adult-use cannabis in Connecticut, Westport amended its zoning code to prohibit recreational cannabis businesses, citing concerns over potential traffic issues.

“Each day, we have to turn away local residents visiting Bluepoint asking if we sell recreational products,” co-founder Nick Tamborrino told the commission in 2023.

The lack of progress prompted Bluepoint to open a recreational store, Venu Flower Collective, about 50 miles away in Middletown.

It’s relocating its medical dispensary within Westport, where it expects to remain for 18 to 24 months before moving to a different, unidentified town where it will operate a hybrid store, CT Insider reported.

Medical cannabis market shrinks amid rising recreational sales

Since the introduction of recreational sales in 2023, the number of medical cannabis patients in the state has plummeted from nearly 49,000 to fewer than 32,000.

Connecticut’s annual medical sales declined in 2025, dropping $21 million from the previous year, with 2.6 million MMJ transactions in 2024 compared to 2.2 million in 2025.

“It’s becoming more and more difficult for most stores to think medical only,” said Ben Zachs, chief operating officer of Fine Fettle, which operates nine hybrid marijuana shops across Connecticut.

State cannabis ombudsman Erin Gorman Kirk attributes the decline in medical patient numbers to several factors, including high prices, inconsistent product quality and limited variety compared to neighboring states like Massachusetts and Rhode Island.