Connecticut Governor Signs State’s First Tribal Cannabis Agreement With Mashantucket Pequot Tribe
- The Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont and Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation leaders signed the state's first tribal-state cannabis agreement, allowing the tribe to cultivate marijuana on tribal lands.
- The agreement enables the tribe to participate in Connecticut's regulated cannabis market while preserving tribal sovereignty and ensuring state public health and safety standards.
- Authorized under the 2021 Responsible and Equitable Regulation of Adult-Use Cannabis Act, the contract provides a legal pathway for the tribe to authorize future cannabis-related businesses and activities.
- The agreement details rules for marijuana movement between tribal lands and the state, law enforcement coordination, and tax matters, supporting regulatory consistency in Connecticut's cannabis industry.
Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont and leaders of the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation signed the state’s first tribal-state cannabis agreement on Thursday, establishing a legal framework for the tribe to cultivate marijuana on tribal lands.
According to the governor’s office, the agreement allows the Mashantucket Pequot Tribe to take part in Connecticut’s regulated cannabis market while preserving tribal sovereignty and maintaining state public health and safety standards.
The contract was authorized under the Responsible and Equitable Regulation of Adult-Use Cannabis Act, the law approved in June 2021 that legalized recreational marijuana in Connecticut. The law includes provisions allowing the state to enter into agreements with federally recognized tribes to coordinate rules related to cannabis possession, cultivation, processing, delivery, sale and use.
While the Mashantucket Pequot Tribe has not yet approved any adult-use marijuana businesses, the agreement gives the tribe a pathway to authorize cannabis-related activity in the future, including transactions involving tribal-licensed businesses.
The contract also outlines how regulated marijuana may move between tribal lands and other parts of Connecticut, how civil and criminal cannabis laws will be enforced, and how tax-related matters will be handled.
Lamont said the agreement creates a framework for expanded participation in the state’s legal marijuana industry while maintaining regulatory consistency.
Connecticut launched legal recreational marijuana sales in January 2023. Adults 21 and older may possess up to 1.5 ounces of marijuana in public and up to five ounces in a private residence or locked vehicle.